Name that exit

Driving along route #1 and then along the PA Turnpike today I began wondering how each of the exits gets named. At face value it would seem to simple...when you get on route #1N in Langhorne to cross route 95 and can exit North to "PRINCETON" or South to "CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA"....but why not "LAWRENCEVILLE" and " BRISTOL" ? Is the system arbitrary, is it based on population, is it determined after some lobbying by legislators, or maybe the dude who makes the sign has a cousin who lives in that town.

This is even more curious along the Turnpike where exchanges are located between significant cities and landmarks. In some instances exits are listed as one town, ie NORRISTOWN while others might say READING/LANCASTER.

Preliminary research only yielded an explanation of how the interstate highway system is numbered. That in and of itself is an interesting story. You should go to somewhere like

http://www.us-highways.com/bus98.htm

for the full story, but in a nutshell:

US routes are all in the contiguous 48 states and have 1, 2, or 3 digit numbers

Even numbers run east to west; increasing to the south
Principal routes are one or two digits (abbreviated as 2dus) and end in 0: US 10 to US 90
Existing range is US 2 to US 98

Odd numbers run north to south; increasing to the west
Principal routes are one or two digits and end in 1: US 1 to US 101
Existing range is US 1 to US 101

Increments of low-order digits fill in the grid
e.g. US 20, US 22, US 24, ... US 30 - Even Numbered
e.g. US 21, US 23, US 25, ... US 31 - Odd Numbered

Three digit highways, excepting 100 and 101 are for loops or spur routes around cities off the main branches. For instance 295, 195 and 495 all loops around major cities along route 95


While interesting, none of that answers my question of naming rights. To that end I am sending the following letter to the US Department of Highways and PA Turnpike Commission.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to garner a better understand of how you determine which towns get listed on road signs that indicate an exit.

I have no concern or criticism of any existing sign. In fact I find that whatever system or lack of system is in place seems to work rather well for me. I attend a lot of dog shows with my two Bernice Mountain Dogs and more often than not Ben, Jerry and I have found the name of the town where the show is held to be the very name of the town on the sign where we exit. The streak of that occurring had gotten to 9 shows in a row and I had started to think that perhaps someone at the Department of Transportation was a fan of purebread canines like myself. Then while heading to the Mount Holly Springs Dogapalooza we had to exit at the Carlisle exchange and I realize that the whole thing was just a matter of coincidence ( it is right ?).

In any event, my motivation is pure curiosity. Is there a way that all of this is determined ? Does the State Legislature get invovled, do local authorities get a say, or is the whole thing determined in house ? For instance, "READING" is an exit from the Turnpike, and so is "LACASTER - LEBANON". The curiosity there is that Lancaster is equidistant from both exits. Why did it get the nod at 266.4 but not at 285.5.

And exit 358 is listed as DELAWARE VALLEY when there is in fact no town by that name. The exits there is in Bristol ( home of the Bristol Stomp)....the other oddity there is that your rest stop there is named South Neshaminy and it's no where near Neshaminy. Im not sure why Bristol is getting overlooked. I stopped there one time for lunch while heading to an American Kennel Club convention in Atlantic City and found the town to be very nice ( although the river front park there could do well to establish a dog park).

Anyway, any insight you might be able to provide would be greatly appreciated


In Christ,
B. J. Hoovis
"If you are a host to your guest, be a host to his dog also." -- Russian Proverb

I'll keep you posted as to any response.