Sign shop ensures state's road signs stay maintained and visible

February 9, 2017

Helping the public find the way from one point to another in the state is among the many responsibilities of the Wyoming Department of Transportation, and one that may seem a bit mundane.

But from mile markers, to speed limits, to navigation and travel information - WYDOT has more than 70,000 signs that need regular maintenance and replacement.

While it goes without saying that signs are replaced when they’re faded or need updating, WYDOT Sign Shop Supervisor Mike Calaway said his team uses data, technology and experience to ensure that the state’s signs are monitored and replaced efficiently. The sign shop staff understands that south-facing signs fade sooner from sun exposure; west-facing signs take a beating from wind, dust and gravel; and crashes and vandalism also take a toll.

“You’ve got gunshots, you’ve got paintballs - a lot of stuff defaces our signs,” Calaway said. “Plus a lot of vehicles hit signs on the highway.”

WYDOT checks signs annually for reflectivity and wear. Thanks to newer materials, Calaway said signs can last 10 to 12 years before needing replacement. Each sign is marked with a number that corresponds to the year is was manufactured so staff can easily identify older material that may need to be replaced.

“When I’m running down the road, if I see sign with a 16 on it, I know that sign’s fairly new. I don’t have to look at it very hard, other than cosmetic damage,” he said. “But if the sign’s maybe got a 5 on it, that means it was an ‘05, and I’m going to look at it for peeling and just overall wear.”

Technology also plays a role in helping the sign shop staff assess equipment.

“We actually do reflectometer readings on them,” Calaway said. “After eight to 10 years, you start to get a little sign degradation in there, so they’re not as reflective as they were. So that’s how we do our upgrading. That’s how we decide when we need to change our signs.”

Members of the sign shop ensure that signs around the state are checked yearly to ensure that each is still easily visible. Workers also test the signs before they leave the shop in Cheyenne. The signs are assessed for effectiveness of size and type of font in addition to reflectivity.

WYDOT’s sign shop fabricates an average of 10,000 signs a year, and Calaway said keeping the work in-house to produce the 70,000 square feet of signs saves time and money.

While working through a contractor may cost approximately $25 to $30 a square foot to produce signs, WYDOT’s sign shop tracks materials and man-hours so it can ensure effectiveness, and currently, the in-house shop is producing signs at $11 a square foot. That is a cost savings of between $980,000-$1,330,000 a year to the state of Wyoming.

The sign shop can also make signs much faster than a contractor could. Calaway said a contractor would likely take a week to produce a sign ordered through them, but in house, the sign shop team can turn signs around and get them installed within a day or two of the sign being ordered.

And just about any sign needed can be produced in house. Calaway said that the sign shop has produced signs as large as 30-feet by 12-feet – a sign at Burgess Junction.

Additionally, the sign shop helps other entities in Wyoming, smaller municipalities like Guernsey, meet the needs of the public.

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