Retroreflectivity of existing signs in Pennsylvania.
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2012-04-01
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Edition:Final report.
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Abstract:The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Bureau of Highway Safety and Traffic Engineering initiated this
research effort in response to the release of the new 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) which mandates
that all states shall have a sign maintenance method designed to maintain traffic sign retroreflectivity at or above the established
minimum levels in place by January 2012. The goal of this research effort was to collect and analyze sign retroreflectivity
measurements on a subset of PennDOT owned and maintained signs throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in order to
better understand the potential service life of signs with regard to nighttime visibility in Pennsylvania. As PennDOT implements its
sign management system, with respect to compliance with the minimum retroreflectivity levels, the findings of this research will
assist PennDOT in better determining when signs may need replaced. Retroreflectivity levels were measured on a sample of 1,000
traffic signs using a DELTA Light and Optics RetroSign 4500 retroreflectometer. In order to obtain regional variety, an equal
portion of signs (one third in each county) were measured in Lackawanna, Lehigh and Lancaster counties to represent the
northern, central and southern tiers of the state. The number of yellow warning signs, white regulatory signs, green directional
signs and red Stop, Yield, Do Not Enter and Wrong Way signs to be measured was determined using the proportion of each sign
color’s overall population in the state. PennDOT’s current standard specifications for reflective sheeting require the use of Type III
or Type IV sheeting for post-mounted sign installations and the sign sheeting manufacturer warranties are typically 10 years;
therefore the data collection efforts were limited to Type III signs aged 10 years or older. The study recommends an expected sign
life of 15 years for yellow, white, red and green signs in Pennsylvania.
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