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515 Little Canada Road, Little Canada, MN. 55117 -1600 <br />(651) 766 -4029 / FAX: (651) 766 -4048 <br />www.ci.little-canadasin.us <br />MAYOR <br />BiII Btesener <br />COUNCIL <br />Rick Montour <br />John Keis <br />Michael McGraw <br />Shelly Boss <br />ADMINISTRATOR <br />Joel R. Hanson <br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Mayor 'Begetter & Members of City Council <br />FROM: Bill Direks, Public Works Superintendent <br />DATE: February 6, 2013 <br />RE: Sign Maintenance and Pavement Marking Policy <br />In 2008, the language in the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices <br />(MNMUTCD) was amended to require that all agencies that maintain roadways open to <br />public travel adopt a sign maintenance program designed to maintain traffic sign <br />retroreflectivity at specific levels. The dates by which these requirements were to be met <br />have changed a few times but the regulation still stands. Retroreflectivity deals with the <br />ability for a motorist or pedestrian to see a traffic sign at night. Signs are made with <br />special sheeting that reflects light and makes them easy to see in the dark. <br />The MNMUTCD gives agencies a few options for ensuring that its signs are meeting the <br />retroreflectivity standards. One is to use a retroreflectometer to measure individual signs <br />and replace them when they fall below the standard. A retroreflectometer is a very <br />expensive tool. They average a few thousand dollars and require training and calibration. <br />Another option is to use trained experts to do a windshield survey at night of the signs in <br />the city to determine which ones no longer meet the standard. There is a significant cost <br />to train an employee to perform these surveys or to have a consulting engineering firm <br />handle them. <br />The option staff is recommending is the Expected Sign Life management method. This <br />method involves replacing signs once they reach the end of their expected life based on <br />documented retroreflectivity degradation testing performed in Minnesota. The City has <br />used 1 -ligh Intensity Prismatic sheeting on its signs since 2002. This type of sheeting has <br />an expected life of 10 -12 years. Staff has a card file with all of the signs and their <br />installation dates and plans to replace groups of signs each year as they meet the end of <br />their expected lives. The signs have been placed into seven groups and a different group <br />will be replaced nearly every year. Because there is a 10-12 year expected life and the <br />City has seven sign groups there will be some years where a group of signs will not need <br />1 <br />