MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT OF STREET AND HIGHWAY SIGNS By WILLIAM T. SUNLEY, Engineer of Local Roads and Streets

In these days of lengthy litigation and high cost of liability insurance for local governmental agencies, the importance of correctly installed and properly maintained roadway signs cannot be overemphasized.

The ability of public agencies to adequately maintain the traffic signs that line their streets and highways is dependent upon a systematic approach to maintenance. A sign maintenance program includes those activities related to the manufacture, procurement, installation, inventory, field inspection, and repair and replacement of traffic signs.

The problem of inadequate sign maintenance is all too evident. For example, a 1988 field survey of traffic signs in a major metropolitan area found that 60 percent of the locations surveyed needed to have some form of sign maintenance — either replacement of a sign, reerection of a sign that was missing, removal of a sign that was unnecessary, or installation of a sign that was needed.

Deficiencies in sign maintenance can have serious impacts on the highway system and on public agencies. Maintenance deficiencies result primarily in a reduction in safety for the motorist and increased liability exposure for the agency. One survey revealed that for county and city road departments, the percentages of tort claims related to traffic control devices were 25 percent and 37 percent respectively. A study of tort claims involving only highway accidents in which a fatality or serious injury occurred found that signing deficiencies were cited as the factor in 41 percent of the claims.

An important element of a street and highway sign maintenance management system is the timely detection of maintenance needs. This detection requires the cooperation of many different agencies and groups. These could include other maintenance departments, police, postal carriers and citizens. The reporting process must be formalized to ensure that the lines of communication do not break down from the informant to the sign crew. This includes the establishment of a policy for the dispatch of off-shift workers for emergency repairs of traffic signs based on the degree of hazard caused by the failure. It is also essential that inspections of traffic signs be made at night to determine the adequacy of night time reflectivity and specific visibility or signing needs that may be more apparent at night.

Credits to: Haldor Lowrey, Project Development Engineer

A key element in the management of street and highway signs is the availability of accurate information about the type of sign, its condition, and its location on the road. Such a sign inventory provides the basis for decisions relative to developing priorities for maintenance or replacement and for the defense of tort liability claims. Sign inventory methods can take many forms. Agencies can use manual cards, strip maps, aerial photographs, notch cards, microcomputers, and mainframe computers. The important element is that the process should be continuous, with constant updating as signs are added, removed, or replaced.

A number of methods are being used to better manage maintenance costs for street and highway signs. These include: better control of overtime work; selection of materials that provide better performance and benefits versus cost; improved procurement specifications and determination of manufacturer compliance with specifications; obtaining quantity discounts through joint purchase with other agencies; use of sign installation techniques to reduce and expedite maintenance. A major factor in sign maintenance cost is vandalism. Measures to reduce the incidence of vandalism

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include such things as ownership identification on the backs, increased police activity in areas of high incidence, and vandal-proof fastening devices. The Federal Highway Administration has published a "Manual on Countermeasures for Sign Vandalism" which contains helpful suggestions to alleviate the problem. The document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161. The document is identified as Report No. FHWA-IP-86-7.

Unfortunately, any maintenance management program for street and highway signs will require the expenditure of money from an agency's budget. In addition to an agency's general revenue fund, activities related to sign maintenance may be financed with their Motor Fuel Tax funds. The Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety also has a program for municipal-wide or county-wide sign upgrading projects using Federal safety funds. Agencies interested in this program may contact Ms. Lynette Roof, Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety, 2300 So. Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, IL 62764.

Reference: The National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Synthesis of Highway Practice #157 titled, "Maintenance Management of Street and Highway Signs", authored by Mr. Richard A. Cunard, Herndon, VA.

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