Montana Roads - US 2

US 2



Strange name, older sign, WB.


An interesting intersection in Libby with an older street sign.


Some very old secondary shields in a long-disused style, EB at Pearl St. in White Haven at the north end of this loop route. I have no idea what the "3 16" marker is for. Though it's of a size and appearance that suggests a mile marker, it is not 3.16 miles from anything in particular, just Louisiana St. in Libby (if counting east along US 2). The varying font and alignment smacks of a homemade job, but the shape suggests agency fabrication and it's on an MDT post.


There's another old shield for the same route WB in Pioneer Junction. Click for closeup.


A bridge replacement temporarily leads to an unpaved mainline US highway. The speed limit signs coming out of it are clearly contractor installs.

Not quite standard, except the "5," WB at US 93 Alt.


Speaking of not standard, MT went through a phase of black-background shields on guide signs.


Flip the arrows and the "West" banners in the first assembly, because I'm sure that's what the installers did. Then you just have the problem of "JCT" only applying to MT 40. I'll accept the old shields in the second one.


Looking west at an active rail bridge from Goat Lick Overlook.


MT 49 NB and SB at US 2 in East Glacier Park Village.


While in the village, Dancing Bears Inn had a Studebaker Hawk in the parking lot and, to compete, Circle R Motel displayed a Mercury Comet. I didn't check the other hotels to see if this is a thing.


Even without rust, this shield on US 89 leaving US 2 would be ugly. The top dimensions are too narrow to meet standards.


WB errors in Browning, starting at MT 464. What was wrong below "First" and where did these patches come from? They look like halves of a street sign, complete with borders. The mind boggles.


A pair of old signs an hour apart, starting in Shelby and ending with a closeup of the only old shield in an assembly for West US 2 and North US 89. Why waste pixels on the ordinary?


You want old, have some button copy. These are facing south (EB) and north (WB) along 5th Ave. in Shelby as US 2 makes a pair of turns from Main St. onto Front St.


Bus. I-15 through Shelby follows US 2 onto MT 67. The latter route only exists to overlap with Bus. I-15, so it's interesting that it's signed at all. Of course, both shields are errors here; I-15 should be Bus. I-15, and MT 67 shouldn't have a black border. By modern standards, there should be no divider line between destinations, but "Lethbridge Airport" could easily cause confusion.


Rich Piehl took this photo in 2002, and while the signs have been replaced, the assembly still stands on Montana Ave. NB at the east end of Front St. I noted that Bus. I-15 follows MT 67, which crosses this railroad on an overpass, and older topo maps show that there used to be a grade crossing at that very spot. So this assembly isn't and never was on US 2, nor is or was it at Business I-15 at all. The only reasonable way to Bus. I-15 is left on Dawson Ave. (unsigned) and right on Oilfield Ave. (signed).


A pair of WB photos.


From east of Chinook to Zurich, US 2 originally crossed the parallel railroad to the north and then crossed back. This truss is on that old road, crossing Battle Creek.


WB at MT 66.


Here's another old alignment about 6 miles west of the US 191 junction.


US 2/191 EB/SB and WB/NB across Milk River, as noted by the original 1953 sign on the bridge.


I gave you enough clues to find this in Glasgow.


MT 24W was replaced by MT 42 around 1989. These signs don't seem that old (although the MT 42 shields could be), so this was probably an error sign produced based on the old route number. I'm surprised they couldn't pull the wrong shield off before plastering the new one on.


A collection of old things WB: old sign, old west trail, old alignment, old railroad bridge.


I never knew Montana had a wide secondary shield. This might not be standard (WB).


EB at MT 16. The assembly is missing a US 2 shield and the last sign should have at least an "SK" by Regina.


MT 16 NB at the western US 2 junction.


WB signs in the area. Between these and the EB signs, you can compare new and old shields and BGS alike.

Onto US 191
To I-15
Into North Dakota on US 2
Into Idaho on US 2
US 2 Non-Roads
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