New signs coming to a corner near you

[June 07, 2012]  Rural reference signs have been getting a facelift. It began with regulatory signs being replaced with a more reflective material.

An aging population has been cited as the reason to replace the signs. More of the American driving population is older now. The larger signs with more reflectivity offer better visibility.

Next are street signs. Current street signs with 4-inch-tall, all-capital letters on 6-inch-tall signs are insufficient. Street signs must now have 6-inch-tall letters with mixed capitalization and lowercase letters on a 12-inch sign blank that has a more luminous background.

County engineer Bret Aukamp explained how he anticipates replacing the signs.

Rather than have random signs changed and different sizes all over the county -- a big sign at one intersection, small at the next intersection -- which could confuse motorists about which streets are primary roadways, Aukamp intends to implement a unified replacement system.

"If somebody is driving out in the county and they come across a big sign, they think that's going to be a well-traveled road," Aukamp said. So, he thought that he might address all the county highway signs first.

When asked about where the signs are made, one committeeman quipped: "Ex-governors make them." That brought a lot of laughs.

As it stands, the highway department is able to make the signs, and that saves on costs.

Aukamp thought the larger surface area might also call for new posts that could withstand 40 mph winds.

While this is an unfunded federal mandate, at least they've relaxed the deadlines, which were originally 2018, Aukamp said. There is now no deadline, with the suggestion to just do it as the signs need to be replaced.

Just to replace the county highway signs is going to cost the county approximately $20,000. Aukamp said he would spread out the work and the costs over five years.

There are 1,710 county and township signs, plus another 120 signs in unincorporated villages.

The county's stop signs have already been upgraded, with possibly a few not done. This does not include township signs. Some funding is available for regulatory and warning signs.

[By JAN YOUNGQUIST]