“Freeway Entrance” Signs Pop Up Around Binghamton Area
Dozens of new "Freeway Entrance" signs are being installed across the Southern Tier by the state Department of Transportation.
The signs are part of an effort to reduce the number of wrong-way crashes in New York.
The green-and-white "Freeway Entrance" signs feature an arrow to guide drivers to the appropriate lane at spots where traffic also is exiting from a highway. Those spots can be confusing to inattentive or impaired drivers, especially at night or during bad weather.
DOT spokesman Scott Cook said the signs augment existing "Do Not Enter" and "Wrong Way" signs that often already are in place at such locations.
The state agency also has added wrong-way arrows on the pavement on exit ramps.
"Do Not Enter" signs are being installed at a lower level to make them more visible to motorists. Sign posts also now have red reflective strips designed so they can be more noticeable to motorists at night.
Cook said the additional countermeasures are designed "to make it even clearer that THIS is the side you want to go in on."
Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program, Cook said 29 "Freeway Entrance" signs have been installed in the region. He said 170 "Wrong Way" signs were added or replaced. Dozens of "Do Not Enter" and "One Way" signs also were installed in recent months.
The Binghamton DOT region includes Broome, Tioga, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie and Sullivan counties.
Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com.
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