I’ve heard something similar happens in the Washington, DC area, as their beltway, which circles the city, confuses visitors.
I knew somebody who worked road maintenance on the beltway. He told many stories of visitors stopping to ask the road crew how to get somewhere. It’s as if the people are confused by the concept of a road which goes in a circle completely around a city.
True story: The Capitol Beltway was originally designated as Interstate 495. However, a decision was made in the 70s or 80s to route I-95 around DC, using the eastern part of the Beltway, due to community opposition. So that part of the Beltway was renumbered as I-95. Unfortunately, a lot of drivers became confused after the renumbering, so sometime later, the I-495 number was added back in, giving that stretch a dual numbering system.
Also, US 50 (the John Hanson Highway) between the Beltway and Maryland 70 in Annapolis is also designated as I-595. However, the highway department does not dare implement the actual interstate signage for fear of confusing drivers.