Q. I was wondering why the signs on Route 95 in Providence, near Providence Place mall and on Route 195 leading to Johnston all say “Hartford Ct.” instead of “Hartford CT.” Isn’t “Ct.” the abbreviation for Court, not Connecticut?

A. Signs that read “Hartford Ct.” are located on Route 95 North and South before Exit 22 A-B-C and after the exit when B and C split to Route 6 West and the Providence Place mall. There are also signs on Route 6 West at the interchange to Route 295 that indicate Route 6 West toward Hartford Ct.

Although it may appear that Ct. means Court, as a street sign would indicate, it is actually one of the proper abbreviations for Connecticut, the other being “Conn.” At the time these signs were installed, some in the late 1980s and some in the late 1990s, “Ct.” and “Conn.” were considered proper abbreviations for Connecticut. The abbreviation CT with two capital letters was actually developed by the United States Postal Service to make it easier for the mail to be sorted. Today, using two capital letters as an abbreviation for a state is more acceptable for most purposes and not just for mailing purposes.

Although the abbreviation Ct. is not incorrect, RIDOT in some cases has begun to use two capital letters as abbreviations for states. Some of the signs along Route 95 will be replaced as part of the I-way project, and they will read Hartford CT, rather than Hartford Ct.

Light shed on dark interchange

Q. I recently drove during the evening from North Kingstown to Cumberland. Upon leaving Route 95 North and turning onto Route 295 North in Warwick I encountered a darkened interchange. Not one overhead light was illuminated. This is a major interchange between two Interstate highways and Route 2 in the area of two malls. Your comment on this situation would be most illuminating.

A. Highway lighting is typically installed along limited access highways to help illuminate the road so motorists traveling at high speeds do not encounter something unexpected in the road. Overhead lighting especially helps motorists who are unfamiliar with a particular highway. The lights also help motorists to see the road as well as any traffic control devices installed along the road such as the pavement markings that delineate the travel lanes, and warning signs that may indicate a curve up ahead.

The overhead lighting along Route 95 North to Route 295 North, as you mention, is currently out of service. RIDOT understands that the overhead lighting at the interchange in question is important, and we are working to fix the problem. Other areas along Route 95 with overhead lighting are currently being repaired as well. The interchange you described should be fixed and functioning sometime this spring.

Dana Alexander Nolfe, chief public affairs officer for the state Department of Transportation, has agreed to answer questions of general interest posed by Journal readers about state roads and other state transportation matters.

The DOT is responsible for the state’s transportation infrastructure, which includes highways, bridges, traffic signals and bikeways.

To ask a question that would also be of interest to other readers, send a letter to Ask RIDOT, Features Department, The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902. You can also e-mail your question to projocars@projo.com. Please put “Question for the DOT” in the subject field.

Questions or complaints of a specific nature should be posed to the DOT directly and will not be answered in this column.

Still lost? Find archived answers to past transportation questions at projocars.com.