A CE560XL PLT COMMENTS THAT SPI'S TXWY 'E' SIGNAGE DOES NOT INDICATE TERMINATION AT THE ACR RAMP AND AN INCURSION RESULTED FROM POOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS.

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WE WERE TOLD TO TAXI TO RWY 31 VIA TXWY ECHO. SO WE FIND TXWY ECHO AND WE GET TO THE INTXN OF TXWY ECHO AND ALPHA. THERE IS A TAXI SIGN THAT STATES TXWY ECHO STRAIGHT AHEAD. I COULD SEE THE AIRLINE RAMP IN FRONT OF ME. BUT TXWY ECHO ONLY LASTED FOR ABOUT ANOTHER 50 FT. I FEEL THE SIGN IS VERY MISLEADING. BECAUSE OF TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WERE TAXI TO RWY 31 VIA TXWY ECHO AND NOTHING ELSE. SO I ASSUMED JUST LIKE AT A LOT OF OTHER ARPTS THAT THE TXWY CONTINUE ONTO THE AIRLINE RAMP AREA TO THE PERIMETER. BUT I GOT TO THE EDGE OF THE AIRLINE RAMP AND TXWY ECHO STOPPED. SO I STOPPED. GND SAID HE DID NOT HAVE AUTH TO ALLOW US TO TAXI ONTO THE RAMP BUT SAID CONTINUE AND JUST STAY AT THE EDGE OF THE RAMP AND CONTINUE TO RWY 31. NOTHING ELSE WAS SAID SO I FEEL THERE WILL NOTHING ELSE DONE ABOUT THIS BUT I WANTED TO COVER MYSELF. I FEEL THE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WERE NOT VERY GOOD TO BEGIN WITH. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SAID TO TAXI TO RWY 31 VIA TXWY E AND A AND B. THE SIGN STATING TXWY ECHO STRAIGHT AHEAD IS ALSO MISLEADING. WE SHOULD OF QUERIED THE CTLR ESPECIALLY SINCE WE DID NOT SEE TXWY ECHO NO MORE ON THE CHART IN THE AIRLINE TERMINAL AREA.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT AFTER CROSSING RWY 4/22 ON TXWY 'E' AT THE INTXN OF 'E' AND 'A' THE SIGN INDICATES 'E' STRAIGHT AHEAD WITH AN ARROW. ONCE THE CREW APCHED THE END OF 'E' AT THE ACR RAMP THERE APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING RESEMBLING A HOLD SHORT LINE. AT THAT POINT THEY REALIZED THAT TXWY 'E' DID NOT BECOME PART OF THE RAMP AND SUBSEQUENTLY CALLED THE SPI GND CTLR. THE RPTR STATED THAT THE CREW FELT THE 'E' STRAIGHT AHEAD SIGN AT 'A' ON 'E' WAS CONFUSING AND DECEIVING. RPTR STATED THAT THE CREW SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE IN TUNED WITH ONE ANOTHER AND DISCUSSED THE POSSIBLE CONFLICT PRIOR TO REACHING THE ACR RAMP.