The Very Strange Exit Signs on the New Jersey Turnpike

An extensive Inconspicuous Consumption investigation into some highly unusual highway sign graphics.

(Photo from NorthJersey.com)

When I launched this iteration of Inconspicuous Consumption in July, I didn’t expect it to feature so much content about highway signage. But it nonetheless seems to be working out that way, in part because I keep spotting interesting things while I’m driving. Case in point: I recently attended a family function in southern New Jersey, which led me to take a two-hour drive on the New Jersey Turnpike. That drive reminded me about something I’ve long been curious about: the unique arrows on the Turnpike’s exit signs.

Some quick background: The New Jersey Turnpike, which opened in 1951, is a 117-mile toll road that runs through the Garden State, with about half of it doubling as Interstate 95. Like any expressway, it has lots of exits, and those exits are marked by signs, and those signs feature arrows directing motorists to the proper off-ramp — and that’s where things get interesting.

But before I show you the Turnpike’s exit signs, let’s take a minute to look at the way arrows typically appear on U.S. highway signage, as specified in the Federal Highway Administration’s mighty Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which is essentially the Bible for this type of thing. Now, you might think an arrow is an arrow is an arrow, but such is not the case! Depending on the type of sign, the MUTCD might call for an arrow whose shaft flares outward slightly at the base, like these:

These arrows’ shafts are all slightly wider at the base than they are where they meet the arrowhead. (All graphics from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 11th Edition)

But there are also some instances in which the MUTCD calls for an arrow whose shaft maintains a consistent width, instead of widening toward the base, as seen here:

The shafts on these arrows maintain a consistent width instead of flaring outward. (All Graphics from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 11th Edition)

So those are the typical U.S. highway arrows that you’re probably used to seeing. But the exit signs on the New Jersey Turnpike — or at least on a long stretch of it — use a completely different kind of arrow that’s nowhere to be found in the MUTCD (or, to my knowledge, anywhere else). Take a look: