Going Retro…Complying with the FHWA’s Sign Retroreflectivity Standards
With January 2012 rapidly approaching, Traffic and Transportation agencies around the United States are trying to figure out the best way to comply with the new Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) retroreflectivity mandates.
If you are one of those agencies, do not worry because you are not alone — and you still have some time.
Compliance Dates…
In case you don’t already know, the FHWA has established a three-tier timeline for agencies to become fully compliant with the new minimum retroreflectivity requirements for traffic signs.
- January 2012-Agencies must have established and implemented a sign assessment or management method that will maintain minimum levels of sign retroreflectivity.
- January 2015-Mandatory compliance date for meeting the minimum retroreflectivity requirements for regulatory, warning, and ground-mounted guide signs in service.
- January 2018-Mandatory compliance date for meeting the minimum retroreflectivity requirements for overhead guide signs and street name signs in service..
As you can see, the first tier of compliancy is January 2012. And by that time, an agency must have established and begun implementation of one or more of the six acceptable sign assessment or management methods recommended for maintaining minimum levels of sign retroreflectivity.
This does not mean all of your signs in the field must meet the minimum standard for retroreflectivity by 2012. Rather it means an agency must have established the method or methods it will use to manage signs and start implementing that method in anticipation of the 2015 compliancy date.
The FHWA has provided this three year window to give agencies enough time to deal with limitations of:
- Increasing sign replacement funding
- Personnel and time to inventory, assess, and replace signs to ensure compliance
Compliance Methods…
Cartegraph highly recommends an agency begin by documenting its chosen method(s) and tracking each sign’s maintenance history as well as age and/or retroreflectivity (Ra) rating. This valuable information can be used to manage signs for compliance and public safety, and also serve to protect an agency from unnecessary tort liability.
Other information Cartegraph recommends tracking includes:
- MUTCD code
- Legend and background colors
- Sheeting material
- Size
- Sign location
- Installation date
By January, 2015, signs in the field must be in compliance with the standards of the method(s) you have implemented and documented. Regulatory, Warning, and ground mounted Guide signs are the first MUTCD sign classifications that must meet the minimum standard.
By January, 2018, overhead guide signs and street name signs must meet the minimum standards. All other signs are currently exempt.
The FHWA offers two acceptable sign assessment methods and three acceptable sign management methods an agency can choose from for their approach. The assessment methods include:
- Nighttime Visual Inspection
- Measured Sign Retroreflectivity
The management methods include:
- Expected Sign Life
- Blanket Replacement
- Control Signs
- Or a combination of the above methods
Currently, Cartegraph sees most agencies adopting a short-term approach to bring their signs up to compliance and a different approach for long-term sign management.
Agencies are initially doing a Blanket Replacement or are replacing signs based on a Nighttime Visual Inspection in preparation for 2015.
Longer term, they are migrating to the Expected Sign Life method, using a manufacturer's warranty period and original installation date to base replacements dates on. This can be easily accomplished by having an inventory in Cartegraph's SIGNview that includes the type of sign, type of sheeting material, size, installation date and location of each sign.
SIGNview's Event History log can then be used to schedule each sign in the database for replacement at the end of its warranty period for its sheeting material. Reports can also be produced to quantify the number, size, and types of signs that need to be budgeted for each Fiscal Year, and to ensure that work crews are out replacing the signs to maintain compliance and public safety!
For more information the new retroreflectivity standards and the methods used to achieve compliance, download our FREE comprehensive whitepaper, “Retroreflectivity Compliance using Cartegraph.”
