IDOT announces new, reflective signs to improve safety on
Illinois roadways and save money
Latest technology creates higher
visibility and eliminates need for electricity on highway signs; Cost savings
may reach $1 million per year
SPRINGFIELD- Illinois Department
of Transportation (IDOT) Secretary Timothy W. Martin announced today that the
agency will begin switching out all overhead signs on the state’s roadways to
use high performance sign sheeting that will improve visibility. The new signs
will also save the state money by allowing IDOT to remove lighting fixtures used
on overhead signs.
“We’re always looking at new
technologies to make our roads safer. The new signs will be more visible to
motorists, and save money in maintenance and electricity costs,” said IDOT
Secretary Martin. “In addition to more reflective sheeting, we’re also switching
the fonts we use on signs to a clearer font because testing has shown this makes
signs easier for people to read.”
The new signs will be put up, as
old ones need to be replaced, so the change over to the more highly reflective
sheeting is expected to take at least 10 years. The price tag for upgrading to
the new sheeting is an estimated $74,000 per year. Once the project is complete
the state could see savings of nearly $1 million a year in sign maintenance and
energy costs. Currently, IDOT spends about $310,000 per year in maintaining the
existing overhead lighted signs and approximately $660,000 per year on energy
costs to light the signs.
In early spring of 2006, IDOT
installed new sign sheeting on overhead guide signs along the Illinois Route 15
corridor in St. Clair County. The purpose was to test this high performance
sheeting for safety, visibility and cost effectiveness. Due to the success of
this pilot project, IDOT is using the new sign sheeting on replacement signs on
the Upgrade 74 project in Peoria and Chicago’s Dan Ryan expressway
reconstruction.
The sheeting material used on the
new signs is more durable and designed to withstand salt spray, humidity and
outdoor weather. In addition to durability and improved visibility, IDOT is also
switching to an easier to read font on highway signs. The new font, called
Clearview Font, was developed specifically to make highway signs easier to read
for older drivers. Clearview Font has been approved for use by the Federal
Highway Administration, and research by Pennsylvania and Texas Transportation
Institutes indicate improved recognition and greater legibility when compared to
the standard highway font.
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