A captain reported that the signage for the western most smf concourse B gates cannot be seen before...

Attributes
ACN	997557
Time
Date	201203
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	SMF.Airport
State Reference	CA
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B737 Next Generation Undifferentiated
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Aero Charts
Person 1
Function	Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 310
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Procedural Clearance

Narrative:

We were assigned gate {number} and passed right by it when taxiing in. When taxiing in from the north part of the ramp; the sign designating gate {number} faces south and cannot be seen when pulling into the safety zone. The 20-7 page shows gate {number} as the last one around the corner; yet it is not; as there is one more gate past {number}. All of the gate signs at the new terminal are very difficult to see. Because of their design; you cannot actually read the lettering unless you are directly in front of it. Our agent said aircraft are always passing by {number} because of the charting and signage issues; yet airport management will not do anything about it.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Captain reported that the signage for the western most SMF Concourse B gates cannot be seen before turning into the gates when approaching from the north off Taxiway Y.

Narrative: We were assigned gate {number} and passed right by it when taxiing in. When taxiing in from the north part of the ramp; the sign designating gate {number} faces south and cannot be seen when pulling into the Safety Zone. The 20-7 page shows gate {number} as the last one around the corner; yet it is not; as there is one more gate past {number}. All of the gate signs at the new terminal are very difficult to see. Because of their design; you cannot actually read the lettering unless you are directly in front of it. Our Agent said aircraft are always passing by {number} because of the charting and signage issues; yet Airport Management will not do anything about it.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

A captain reported that the signage for the western most smf concourse B gates cannot be seen before turning into the gates when approaching from the north off taxiway Y.