"Carbon Dating" Your State's BGSs.

Started by thenetwork, July 23, 2017, 10:28:23 PM

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thenetwork

When driving down the road, passing by those big, beautiful BGSs in your state of residence (or neighboring state), are you able to determine the age of the BGS or similar by seeing some visible marking on the sign which denotes the year of install?

At least in my neck of the woods, my state and the neighbor closest to me do. 

COLORADO:  Usually a colored sticker (the size of a license plate renewal sticker) is affixed to one of the lower corners of the signs.  Up until a few years ago, each sticker (displaying the last 2 digits of the install year) was in a different color with the year text in white.  Nowadays (since around 2013) the date sticker is gold, but the issue year text is now in a different annual color.

UTAH
:  I'd say since around 2010, the year can be found on the lower left corner of the sign within the white sign border -- the color of the issue year (last 2 digits) match the background color of the sign.

In both of these states, a roadgeek driver can usually "see" the age of the sign at normal highway speeds without stopping, once they know where to look.  Does your state mark their signs (front or back) where you can quickly determine their age?


jeffandnicole

On some of NJ's BGSs, the manufactured date is printed in the white border that goes around the sign. 

thefraze_1020

In Washington, WSDOT uses a fabrication sticker with the last two digits of the year in large, bold numbers. It has been this way since 1992. According to an email I once sent to them, they have used fabrication stickers since 1982, but the ones from 1982-1991 were horizontal, and only indicated the year by a small hole punch at the edge of the sticker.
Alright, this is how it's gonna be!

roadman

For BGS panels, MassDOT uses a decal that has a code indicating the dimensions, fabrication date, fabricator/installer, sheeting manufacturer, and sheeting type.

A typical code would read 12.0 X 8.0 11/04 F16 M3 J  (12 foot by 8 foot panel fabricated November 2004, fabricated and installed by (x), 3M sheeting, Type VIII).

Codes are placed in white lettering on the lower left corner of the face of overhead signs, and in black lettering on the lower left corner of the back of ground-mounted signs.

New Hampshire denotes only the sign dimensions and fabrication dates on their decals, and uses white lettering in the lower left corner of the face of both overhead and ground-mounted signs.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

Darkchylde

I haven't looked to see how Missouri or Kansas does it yet.

Every sign I've seen put up in Louisiana has the date when it was mounted written on the back in permanent marker.

cjk374

Quote from: Darkchylde on July 28, 2017, 06:26:19 AM
I haven't looked to see how Missouri or Kansas does it yet.

Every sign I've seen put up in Louisiana has the date when it was mounted written on the back in permanent marker.

Louisiana writes the dates on the back of all signs. So that begs the question....what is the purpose of those dates on the back?
Runnin' roads and polishin' rails.



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