Wrong Way!!

A lot of unusual, funny, or just plain wrong signs and roads.

10/19/2003-present
6/11/2001-10/18/2003
6/11/2000-6/10/2001
11/01/1999-6/10/2000
04/18/1999-10/31/1999
10/15/1998-04/17/1999
7/20/1998-10/14/1998
6/9/1998-7/19/1998

Although it's not uncommon to see a fire engine blocking a street, it's less common to see it while it's still inside a fire station. It looks like the original plan called for moving the station, but that never happened, so the road curves around it. Someone is using the spot to sell their truck. Also note the rarely-seen "keep left" sign. (Buckeye Rd. & Sky Harbor Circle, Phoenix)

Construction signs have mistakes so often, it's a little unfair to pick on them. This one has an interesting design for the AZ 143 marker. It's the same color scheme used for the Loop AZ 303 sign. (I-10 & AZ 143, Phoenix)

As you can see this is in Tempe, AZ, but it has a striking resemblance to old California signs, which used the white-on-green design for US routes. Only one was made this way; the rest are the correct black-on-white. (US 60 & Priest Dr., Tempe)

The Hassayampa River is "the river that runs upside-down". Except for rare floods, the water never breaks the surface of the sand, making fishing from the bridge a real waste of time. I don't think the fishing would be great during a flood anyway. Since we're banning impossible activities, some wiseacre added a sign to also ban ice fishing. Maybe they should ban walrus hunting as well. (US 60, Wickenburg)

For a divided highway to end, as this sign indicates, it has to be divided in the first place. This sign is actually upside-down, and is supposed to be a divided highway begins sign. (US 60, near Circle City)

Why waste money on a lot of shields, when you can put all the numbers inside one? (Carlsbad, NM)

The new florescent yellow-green signs are supposed to only be used on school and pedestrian crossing signs. Deer don't count as pedestrians. (US 82 east of Alamogordo, NM)

MISSILE XING AHEAD (US 70 east of Las Cruces, NM)

No "Road Widens" sign? No problem! Just use a "Road Narrows" sign upside-down. (US 70 at Lordsburg, NM)

Besides being a test of your speed reading skills, this sign offers BY-PASS, TRUCK, and BUSINESS bannered routes. If they had an ALTERNATE and SPUR, we'd have a full house. (Morganton, NC)

So trucks that are permitted aren't permitted on this road, and trucks that aren't permitted are permitted. I think what they mean is that trucks that require special operating permits may not drive on this road. Their wording sure looks funny, though. (US 25/70 at NC state line)

What on earth is going on here? To go or to stop, that is the question. The green arrow turns to a yellow arrow, then the red ball goes out and shows a green ball. It really should show a green ball (same as the other signal heads). (US 70B in Little Rock, AR)

Don't follow this sign looking for a Mobil station.

It's actually a misspelling of Mobile. The sign facing the other direction gets it right. (AZ 347 & AZ 238 near Maricopa)

Good thing Arizona uses a state outline, because the state name is missing from the top of this shield. (16th St. & Missouri Ave., Phoenix)

The I-10 Business Loop hasn't gone through Phoenix for years, and it never went past here. Thanks to David Sebesta for pointing this one out. (I-10 & University Dr., Phoenix)

An arrow sign is only supposed to have an ONLY only if the arrow only points only one direction. Only here, there's an extra ONLY. (51st Ave. & AZ 101)

10/19/2003-present
6/11/2001-10/18/2003
6/11/2000-6/10/2001
11/01/1999-6/10/2000
04/18/1999-10/31/1999
10/15/1998-04/17/1999
7/20/1998-10/14/1998
6/9/1998-7/19/1998

Back to Arizona Roads

Last updated 3/1/2001