Can't Get There From Here

Has anyone else noticed the highway signs directing motorists onto U.S. 290 and Highway 71 West at the new Ben White/IH-35 interchange have been altered? These signs initially listed El Paso and San Angelo as destinations, but now those two cities have been deleted in favor of Johnson City.

Prior to the interchange being built, the old signs said Johnson City, so maybe TxDOT determined the new destination cities confused people. The routes to both San Angelo and El Paso aren't straight shots; 290 takes you to IH-10 west of Fredricksburg and 71 hooks you up with U.S. 87 at Brady.

Nevertheless, I liked the idea of a sign in Austin beckoning drivers to El Paso. In contemplating that torturous 11-hour trek, you can't help but think about how big Texas is, and isn't that what we want visitors to think?

I'm going to contact the TxDOT public affairs folks about this and let you know what they say.