U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Publication No. FHWA-SA-07-020
Traffic signs provide important information to drivers at all times, both day and night. To be effective, their visibility must be maintained. The 2003 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) addresses sign visibility in several places, including Sections 1A.03, 1A.04, 1A.05, 2A.06, 2A.08, and 2A.22. These sections address factors such as uniformity, design, placement, operation, and maintenance. Previously, the MUTCD did not specify minimum retroreflectivity levels.
The second revision of the 2003 MUTCD introduces new language establishing minimum retroreflectivity levels that must be maintained for traffic signs. Agencies have until January 2012 to establish and implement a sign assessment or management method to maintain minimum levels of sign retroreflectivity. The compliance date for regulatory, warning, and ground-mounted guide signs is January 2015. For overhead guide signs and street name signs, the compliance date is January 2018. The new MUTCD language is shown on page 2 and 3 of this document. [below]
The new standard in Section 2A.09 requires that agencies maintain traffic signs to a minimum level of retroreflectivity outlined in Table 2A-3 of the MUTCD. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) believes that this proposed change will promote safety while providing sufficient flexibility for agencies to choose a maintenance method that best matches their specific conditions.
Including Table 2A-3 in the MUTCD does not imply that an agency must measure the retroreflectivity of every sign. Rather, the new MUTCD language describes five methods that agencies can use to maintain traffic sign retroreflectivity at or above the minimum levels. Agencies can choose from these methods or combine them. Agencies are allowed to develop other appropriate methods based on engineering studies. However, agencies should adopt a consistent method that produces results that correspond to the values in Table 2A-3.
The new MUTCD language recognizes that there may be some individual signs that do not meet the minimum retroreflectivity levels at a particular point in time. As long as the agency with jurisdiction is maintaining signs in accordance with Section 2A.09 of the MUTCD, the agency will be considered to be in compliance. This document describes methods that can be used to maintain sign retroreflectivity at or above the MUTCD's minimum maintained retroreflectivity levels.
The MUTCD describes two basic types of methods that agencies can use to maintain sign retroreflectivity at or above the MUTCD minimum maintained retroreflectivity levels—assessment methods and management methods. The FHWA has identified and listed assessment and management methods for maintaining sign retroreflectivity in accordance with Section 2A.09. These methods are described on page four. A full report on these methods can be found at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/night_visib/.
Retroreflectivity is one of several factors associated with maintaining nighttime sign visibility (see Section 2A.22).
Public agencies or officials having jurisdiction shall use an assessment or management method that is designed to maintain sign retroreflectivity at or above the minimum levels in Table 2A-3.
Compliance with the above Standard is achieved by having a method in place and using the method to maintain the minimum levels established in Table 2A-3. Provided that an assessment or management method is being used, an agency or official having jurisdiction would be in compliance with the above Standard even if there are some individual signs that do not meet the minimum retroreflectivity levels at a particular point in time.
Except for those signs specifically identified in the Option portion of this Section, one or more of the following assessment or management methods should be used to maintain sign retroreflectivity:
Additional information about these methods is contained in the 2007 Edition of FHWA's "Maintaining Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity" (see Section 1A.11).
Highway agencies may exclude the following signs from the retroreflectivity maintenance guidelines described in this Section:
| Sign Color | Sheeting Type (ASTM D4956-04) | Additional Criteria | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaded Sheeting | Prismatic Sheeting | ||||
| I | II | III | III, IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X | ||
| White on Green | W*; G ≥ 7 | W*; G ≥ 15 | W*; G ≥ 25 | W ≥ 250; G ≥ 25 | Overhead |
| W*; G ≥ 7 | W ≥ 120; G ≥ 15 | Ground-mounted | |||
| Black on Yellow or Black on Orange |
Y*; O* | Y ≥ 50; O ≥ 50 | (2) | ||
| Y*; O* | Y ≥ 75; O ≥ 75 | (3) | |||
| White on Red | W ≥ 35; R ≥ 7 | (4) | |||
| Black on White | W ≥ 50 | — | |||
| 1 The minimum maintained retroreflectivity levels shown in this table are in units of cd/lx/m2 measured at an observation angle of 0.2 ° and an entrance angle of -4.0 °. 2 For text and fine symbol signs measuring at least 1200 mm (48 inches) and for all sizes of bold symbol signs 3 For text and fine symbol signs measuring less than 1200 mm (48 inches) 4 Minimum Sign Contrast Ratio ≥ 3:1 (white retroreflectivity ÷ red retroreflectivity) * This sheeting type should not be used for this color for this application. |
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| Bold Symbol Signs | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Fine Symbol Signs – Symbol signs not listed as Bold Symbol Signs. |
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| Special Cases |
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Assessment methods require evaluation of individual signs within an agency's jurisdiction. There are two basic assessment methods—visual assessment and measured sign retroreflectivity.
In the visual nighttime inspection method, on-the-fly assessments of retroreflectivity are made by an inspector during nighttime conditions. The following recommendations provide general guidance for the inspections:
One or more of the following procedures should be used to support visual inspections.
In this procedure, an inspector views a "calibration sign" prior to conducting the nighttime inspection described above. Calibration signs have known retroreflectivity levels at or above minimum levels. These signs are set up where the inspector can view the calibration signs in a manner similar to nighttime field inspections. The inspector uses the visual appearance of the calibration sign to establish the evaluation threshold for that night's inspection activities. The following factors provide additional information on the use of this procedure:
Comparison panels are used to assess signs that have marginal retroreflectivity. The comparison panels are fabricated at retroreflectivity levels at or above the minimum levels. When the visual inspection identifies the retroreflectivity of a sign as marginal, a comparison panel is attached to the sign and the sign/panel combination is viewed and compared by the inspector.
Nighttime inspections are conducted under similar factors that were used in the research to develop the minimum retroreflectivity levels. These factors include:
In this method the retroreflectivity of a sign is measured and directly compared to the minimum level appropriate for that sign. ASTM E1709, Standard Test Method for Measurement of Retroreflective Signs Using a Portable Retroreflectometer, provides a standard method for measuring sign retroreflectivity.
Management methods provide an agency with the ability to maintain sign retroreflectivity without having to assess individual signs. There are three basic management methods—sign replacement based on expected sign life, blanket replacement of large numbers of signs at appropriate intervals, and use of control signs.
In this method, individual signs are replaced before they reach the end of their expected service life, which is the time anticipated for the retroreflective material to degrade to the appropriate minimum level. Expected service life can be based on sign sheeting warranties, weathering deck results, measurements of field signs, or other criteria.
This method requires a system for tracking sign age. A common approach for identifying the age of individual signs uses a label on the sign to mark the year of fabrication or installation. Sign management systems can also be used to track the age of individual signs.
With this method, an agency replaces all signs in an area, or of a given type, at specified time intervals based on the relevant expected sign life. This method typically requires that all of the designated signs within a replacement area, or of the particular sign type, be replaced even if a sign was recently installed.
In this method, a control sample of signs is used to represent all of an agency's signs. The retroreflectivity of the control signs is monitored and sign replacement is based on the performance of the control signs.
An agency can choose to use either an assessment method or a management method, or a combination of the two. Agencies may develop other methods as long as they are documented in an engineering study and correspond to the values in Table 2A-3.
