Looking across the border from El Paso to Ciudad Juárez at Fronteriza EB. In the first photo, with signs mounted on the Stanton St. Bridge (beginning of US 85), there's a split to Avenida Heroico Colegio Militar and a choice of Puentes (Bridges) Internacionals (I'll let you figure that one out). México gets a little slap-happy with abbreviating - for example, while "P" is "Puente" in the first photo, it's "Paseo" in the second photo, which is somewhat redundant with "Avenida" or "Av." (It's also the wrong destination, because Av. Pérez Serna really ends at Avenida de las Américas, which is DF 45 SB; DF 45 SB does then turn onto Av. Paseo Triunfo de la Republica.) In addition to the abbreviations, the other jarring sign feature is how all different typefaces, sizes, and locations are used. Exit distance goes between the arrows, but there are random messages on top of the left sign in the second photo that are very difficult to correlate to the messages below. Also notice how Blvd. Juan Pablo II and Av. Pérez Serna are both signed as exits, leaving only one lane that doesn't exit - but that one's also signed as Av. Pérez Serna! Aerial maps haven't caught up to roadbuilding in México, but I don't see how two separate same-direction carriageways could be shoehorned next to the border, so without being on the road I can't tell you what actually goes on here. All I know is that if it's this confusing on the signs, it can't make much more sense on the ground. I have come to learn that México doesn't do much of anything road-related to a particular standard.


Courtesy Michael Summa, both were in Nogales, Sonora (just south of Nogales, AZ) in 1988, and the first was on Federal Highway 15. Highway 15 is the southern extension of former US 89, whose function has been taken over by I-19 and I-17. The really old white sign makes a cool comparison to the merely quite old button-copy sign - and look, there's no Spanish for "Downtown"! I don't see why the "NO" is needed in addition to the red slash - or are they trying to tell you that there's NO no right turn, meaning that you can turn right?

Back to México Roads
Back to Roads