List of Control Cities for Use in Guide Signs on Interstate Highways

Interstate Highway Control Cities

The information on this page is taken from List of Control Cities for Use in Guide Signs on Interstate Highways, 2001, published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). That publication is actually Part III of a booklet, which also contains Part I - Guidelines for the Selection of Supplemental Guide Signs for Traffic Generators Adjacent to Freeways, and Part II - Guidelines for Airport Signing.

Note that not every destination on Guide Signs is a CONTROL CITY (and not every Control City is actually a CITY). Local or intermediate destinations may be used to guide motorists, even if they are not on this list, particularly in large Metropolitan areas.

For example, the various bridge and tunnel crossings of the Hudson or Delaware Rivers between New Jersey and New York City or Philadelphia are not considered "Control Cities".

The Millennium Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) published by the Federal Highway Administration states in Section 2E.12:

Section 2E.12 Designation of Destinations

Standard:

The direction of a freeway and the major destinations or control cities (see Section 2D.34) along it shall be clearly identified through the use of appropriate destination legends. Successive freeway guide signs shall provide continuity in destination names and consistency with available map information. At any decision point, a given destination shall be indicated by way of only one route.

Guidance:

Control city legends should be used in the following situations along a freeway:

Interchanges between freeways.

Separation points of overlapping freeway routes.

On directional signs on intersecting routes, to guide traffic entering the freeway.

On Pull-Through signs.

On the bottom line of post-interchange distance signs.

Support:

Continuity of destination names is also useful on expressways serving long-distance or intrastate travel.

The determination of major destinations or control cities is important to the quality of service provided by the freeway. Control cities on freeway guide signs are selected by the States and are contained in the "List of Control Cities for Use in Guide Signs on Interstate Highways," ...

I've substituted the above for the quote from the previous (1988) edition of the MUTCD which appears in the AASHTO publication.

The Introduction to AASHTO's listing, says the following:

The List of Control Cities for Use in Guide Signs on Interstate Highways lists cities which have been determined by each state to be major destinations and population centers located on or near the Interstate Highway System. Although the control cities are listed sequentially along specific interstate routes, it may be desirable to select ‘control city’ destinations whose location may be more readily recognized by the interstate traveler than to the city which may be listed next in the sequential order. To provide continuity and consistency, the ‘control city’ should remain the same on all successive signs throughout the length of the route until that destination is reached. Continuity in signing for ‘control cities’ should be maintained as a route continues into another state.

From time to time, a state may recognize the need to add a city to the list of control cities located on an interstate route within its state boundaries. States may submit requests for the addition of cities to the list of control cities to the AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Traffic Engineering for consideration. Requests for additions or changes to the list of control cities should include the following information:

A statement indicating what addition or change is proposed.
Any illustration which would be helpful to understand the request.
Any supporting data or information which would present justification for making the requested addition or change.

A task force selected by the Chairman of the Highway Subcommittee on Traffic Engineering will review the information submitted and will make a recommendation to the Subcommittee to be voted upon by either mail ballot or by vote at the Subcommittee’s annual meeting. Recommendations will be presented to the AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways and the AASHTO Board of Directors for approval.

If a city is approved for placement on the list of control cities, or if any other changes are made, notification of the addition or changes will be distributed to each member of the Highway Subcommittee on Traffic Engineering. A notification will be sent to the Chief Administrative Officer of each AASHTO member department whose signing may be affected by the addition or change.

It is intended that the List of Control Cities for Use in Guide Signs on Interstate Highways will be published approximately every five years. Any additions or revisions that have been approved since the previous publication of the List of Control Cities will be included in the subsequent publication.

Changes included in the new edition, which were made since the last version, which was issued in 1993, are shown in YELLOW type.

Additional Control Cities noted by individuals who have written me, but which are NOT reflected in the AASHTO listing, are shown in GREEN type.

Interstate Control Cities

4 Tampa, Orlando, Daytona Beach

5 NB San Diego, Santa Ana, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Redding, Mt. Shasta City, Weed, Yreka, Ashland, Medford, Grants Pass, Roseburg, Eugene, Salem, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver BC

5 SB Seattle, Portland, Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland, Yreka, Weed, Mt. Shasta City, Redding, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, San Diego

8
San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Tucson/Phoenix (Signed alternately)

10 Santa Monica, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Indio, Blythe, Phoenix, Tucson, Lordsburg, Deming, Las Cruces, El Paso, Van Horn, San Antonio, Houston, Beaumont, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Slidell, Bay St. Louis, Pascagoula, Mobile, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Lake City, Jacksonville

12 Baton Rouge, Hammond, Slidell

15 San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Barstow, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Butte, Helena, Great Falls, Shelby, Lethbridge

16 Macon, Savannah

17 Phoenix, Flagstaff

19 Nogales, Tucson

20 El Paso, Abilene, Fort Worth/Dallas (Signed alternately), Shreveport, Monroe, Vicksburg, Jackson, Meridian, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbia, Florence

24 EB Paducah, Nashville, Chattanooga

24 WB Chattanooga, Nashville, Clarksville, PaducahLaSalle-Peru

25 NB Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Raton, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Denver, Ft. Collins, Cheyenne, Casper, Sheridan

25 SB Casper, Cheyenne, Ft. Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Raton, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, El Paso

26 Ashville, Spartanburg, Columbia, Charleston

27 Lubbock, Amarillo

29 Kansas City, St. Joseph, Mound City, Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Fargo, Grand Forks, Winnipeg

30 Fort Worth/Dallas (Signed alternately), Texarkana, Little Rock

35 NB Laredo, San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Dallas/Fort Worth (Signed alternately), Oklahoma City, Wichita, Kansas City, Des Moines, Ames, Mason City, Albert Lea, St. Paul/Minneapolis (Signed alternately), Duluth

35 SB Duluth, St. Paul/Minneapolis (Signed alternately) , Albert Lea, Mason City, Ames, Des Moines, Kansas City, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Fort Worth (Signed alternately), Waco, Austin, San Antonio, Laredo

37 Corpus Christi, San Antonio

39 NB Rockford, Madison, Portage, Stevens Point, Wausau
(Rockford to Portage also see I-90)

39 SB Stevens Point, Portage, Madison, Rockford, LaSalle-Peru, Bloomington-Normal
(Portage to Rockford also see I-90)

40 Barstow, Needles, Kingman, Flagstaff, Gallup, Albuquerque, Santa Rosa, Tucumcari, Amarillo, Oklahoma City, Fort Smith, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Asheville, Statesville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Durham, Raleigh, Benson, Wilmington

43 Beloit, Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Green Bay

44 Wichita Falls, Lawton, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Joplin, Springfield, Rolla, St. Louis

45 Galveston, Houston, Dallas

49 Lafayette, Opelousas, Alexandria, Shreveport

55 New Orleans, Hammond, McComb, Jackson, Grenada, Memphis, Blytheville, Sikeston, Cape Girardeau, St. Louis, Chicago

57 NB Sikeston, Charleston, Cairo, Chicago

57 SB Chicago, Cairo, Charleston, Sikeston, Memphis

59 New Orleans, Slidell, Hattiesburg, Laurel, Meridian, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Gadsden, Chattanooga

64 EB St. Louis, Louisville, Lexington, Ashland, Huntington, Charleston, Beckley, Lewisburg, Lexington, Staunton, Richmond, Norfolk, Chesapeake

64 WB Richmond, Staunton, Lexington, Lewisburg, Beckley, Charleston, Huntington, Ashland, Lexington, Louisville, St. Louis, Wentzville

65 Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham, Huntsville, Nashville, Louisville, Indianapolis, Chicago

66 Strasburg, Front Royal, Washington

68 Hancock, Cumberland, Frostburg, Morgantown

69 Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Lansing, Flint, Port Huron

70 EB I-15, Grand Junction, Denver, Limon, Hays, Salina, Topeka, Kansas City, Columbia, Wentzville, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Dayton, Columbus, Wheeling, Washington PA, New Stanton, Breezewood, Hancock, Hagerstown, Washington DC/Baltimore (Signed alternately)

70 WB Baltimore/Washington DC (Signed alternately), Frederick, Hagerstown, Breezewood, Wheeling, Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Wentzville, Columbia, Kansas City, Topeka, Salina, Hays, Limon, Denver, Grand Junction, I-15

71 Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland

72 Springfield, Decatur, Champaign-Urbana

74 EB Peoria, Indianapolis, Cincinnati

74 WB Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Peoria, Des Moines

75 Miami, Naples, Tampa, Lake City, Valdosta, Macon, Atlanta, Marietta, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Lexington, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, Mackinac Bridge, Sault Ste Marie

76 Denver, Fort Morgan, Sterling, Omaha
Lodi, Barberton, Akron, Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Valley Forge, Philadelphia, Walt Whitman Bridge, Camden, Atlantic City

77 NB Columbia, Charlotte, Statesville, Wytheville, Bluefield, Beckley, Charleston, Parkersburg, Marietta, Cleveland

77 SB Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Marietta, Parkersburg, Charleston, Beckley, Bluefield, Wytheville, Statesville, Charlotte, Columbia

78 Harrisburg, Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Phillipsburg, Clinton, Newark, Holland Tunnel, New York City

79 Charleston, Clarksburg, Fairmont, Morgantown, Washington PA, Pittsburgh, Erie

80 San Francisco, Sacramento, Reno, Elko, Salt Lake City, Evanston, Rock Springs, Cheyenne, Sidney, North Platte, Kearney, Grand Island, Lincoln, Omaha, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Iowa City, Davenport, Chicago, Toledo, Cleveland, Youngstown, Sharon, Clarion, Du Bois, Clearfield, Bellefonte, Williamsport, Bloomsburg, Hazleton, Stroudsburg, Delaware Water Gap, Netcong, Paterson, George Washington Bridge, New York City

81 Knoxville, Bristol, Roanoke, Winchester, Martinsburg, Hagerstown, Chambersburg, Carlisle, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Binghamton, Syracuse, Watertown, Canada

82 Yakima, Pendleton

83 Baltimore, York, Harrisburg

84 EB Portland, The Dalles, Pendleton, La Grande, Baker, Ontario, Boise, Twin Falls, Ogden
Newburgh, Danbury, Waterbury, Hartford, Boston

84 WB Boston, Hartford, Waterbury, Danbury, Newburgh, Scranton
Ogden, Twin Falls, Boise, Ontario, Baker, La Grande, Pendleton, The Dalles, Portland

85 Montgomery, Atlanta, Greenville, Spartanburg, Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham, Petersburg

86 I-84, Pocatello
Erie, Jamestown, Corning, Elmira, Binghamton, New York

87 New York City, Albany, Montreal

88 Binghamton, Albany
Chicago, Moline, Rock Island

89 NB Concord, White River Junction, Barre, Burlington, St. Albans, Montreal

89 SB St. Albans, Burlington, Montpelier, White River Junction, Concord

90 Seattle, Ellensburg, Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Missoula, Butte, Billings, Sheridan, Gillette, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Albert Lea, La Crosse, Wisconsin Dells, Madison, Janesville, Rockford, Chicago, Toledo, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, Albany, Boston

91 NB New Haven, Hartford, Springfield, Brattleboro, White River Junction, St. Johnsbury, Newport, Sherbrooke

91 SB Newport, St. Johnsbury, White River Junction, Brattleboro, Springfield, Hartford, New Haven

93 Quincy, Boston, Salem, Manchester, Concord, Plymouth, Littleton, St. Johnsbury

94 EB Billings, Bismarck, Fargo, Minneapolis/St. Paul (Signed alternately), Eau Claire, Wisconsin Dells, Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Port Huron

94 WB Port Huron, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Wisconsin Dells, Eau Claire, St. Paul/Minneapolis (Signed alternately), Moorhead/Fargo (Signed alternately), Bismarck, Billings

95 NB Miami, West Palm Beach, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Savannah, Florence, Fayetteville, Benson, Rocky Mount, Petersburg, Richmond, Washington DC, Baltimore, Wilmington, Chester, Philadelphia, Trenton, George Washington Bridge, New York City, New Haven, New London, Providence, Boston, Portsmouth, Kittery, Portland, Augusta, Bangor, Houlton

95 SB Houlton, Bangor, Augusta, Portland, Kittery, Portsmouth, Boston, Providence, New London, New Haven, New York City, The Ridgefields, New Jersey Turnpike, Trenton, Philadelphia, Chester, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington DC, Richmond, Petersburg, Rocky Mount, Benson, Fayetteville, Florence, Savannah, Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach, Miami

96 Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Detroit

97 Baltimore, Bay Bridge, Annapolis

99 Bedford, Altoona, Tyrone

135 Wichita, Salina

185 Columbus, Atlanta

195 Providence, Fall River, New Bedford, Cape Cod
Trenton, Belmar, Shore Points

196 Chicago, Holland, Grand Rapids

270 Frederick, Washington DC

275 Toledo, Flint
NB: St. Petersburg, Tampa, Ocala
SB: Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton

278 Elizabeth, New Jersey Turnpike, Goethals Bridge, Staten Island

280 Newark, The Oranges, Harrison, Kearny, Jersey City, New Jersey Turnpike, Parsippany-Troy Hills

287 Rye, White Plains, Tappan Zee Bridge, Suffern, New York Thruway, Mahwah, Morristown, Somerville, Perth Amboy

295 New York, Princeton, Trenton, Bordentown, Camden, Westville, Penns Grove, New Jersey Turnpike, Delaware Memorial Bridge, Wilmington
Boston, Warwick

380 Cedar Rapids, Waterloo

385 Greenville, Columbia

390 Corning, Rochester

395 NB Norwich, Worcester

395 SB Norwich, New Haven

575 Atlanta, Canton

676 NB-Camden, Ben Franklin Bridge, Philadelphia
SB-Walt Whitman Bridge, Collingswood, Gloucester, Atlantic City

696 Lansing, Port Huron

985 Atlanta, Gainesville

H-1 Waianae, Honolulu

H-2 Wahiawa, Honolulu

H-3 Kaneohe, Aiea

A number of short, usually metropolitan bypasses and loops have been omitted.
(i.e. They do NOT appear in the AASHTO publication)

This page was last updated on March 01, 2004

Please forward any corrections to Paul S. Wolf.