Current Design
The current design of the U.S. route shield was introduced in the 1971 MUTCD. The shield outline is slightly modified from the 1961 version, allowing for more white space within the shield. For the first time, the federal specification also included a wide version of the shield for three-digit routes, eliminating the need to use the condensed fonts for many route numbers. The 1971 MUTCD also discontinued the 16 by 16 inches (41 cm × 41 cm) cutout shield for reassurance purposes, leaving only the 24 by 24 inches (61 cm × 61 cm) and 24 by 30 inches (61 cm × 76 cm) markers for all purposes.
In the 2009 MUTCD, the U.S. route shield is assigned catalog number M1-4 and is discussed in Section 2D.11. The 24 × 24 inch and 24 × 30 inch sizes are specified as minimums. The MUTCD suggests that when used as components of guide signs, the black background of the shields should be omitted, leaving only the white shield shape. However, deviations are common, especially in New Jersey, which consistently includes the black background on both U.S. route shields and state route markers on its guide signs.
Read more about this topic: U.S. Route Shield
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