WISDOT making route signs for Counties?

[peterj920]

Today I drove on county roads in Brown, Calumet, and Waupaca Counties and noticed that at county road intersections I saw unisigns with oversized arrows and the font that WISDOT uses on their route markers.  These were at county road intersections.  I do like the change because I prefer the WISDOT sign specs compared to most individual counties but has anyone else noticed any new WISDOT signs posted on county roads?

[Roadguy]

Today I drove on county roads in Brown, Calumet, and Waupaca Counties and noticed that at county road intersections I saw unisigns with oversized arrows and the font that WISDOT uses on their route markers.  These were at county road intersections.  I do like the change because I prefer the WISDOT sign specs compared to most individual counties but has anyone else noticed any new WISDOT signs posted on county roads?

Not sure that WisDOT made them but the counties are probably using them now to reduce the signs they need to keep in stock in their sign inventory.  By using one uniform arrow size, they reduce the need to carry multiple signs just because the arrow size is different.

[invincor]

I wish WISDOT would have a giant batch of county road markers made at their level, to get the breaks on economies of scale, then offer them cheaply or in trade to the counties that historically seem to have trouble getting even basic signage up on their county roads. 

The disparity is very evident here in western Wisconsin.  In St. Croix County, which has a deep tax base and the budgets that come with that, their country roads have for 25 years or more been excellently marked with reassurance markers at every intersection that even include cardinal directions.  In neighboring Dunn County, where the base isn't quite so deep, they have simpler reassurance markers without the cardinal directions. 

Then you have my own poor Pierce County, which has never had any reassurance markers at all.  The best you get is directions at intersections, but watch out if any of those signs become damaged or knocked down because it could be a year or two before they're able to replace them.  Pepin County is in the same situation.  I used to have a police scanner, and I remember years ago hearing an officer trying to go out on an urgent rural call that crossed a county line, and them getting totally lost on the way because there weren't any signs up telling them that Pierce County AA becomes Pepin County E when it crosses the county line.  There still aren't.   

[The Ghostbuster]

Can you get some pictures of these county route signs? I'd like to see them.

[peterj920]

It was dark out so I wasn't able to get the best pictures.  I was out in Brown County tonight and snapped some pictures.  There were a couple of other intersections where I tried to get pictures but I didn't want to hold up traffic.  Signs like these have been popping up all over Brown County.  It wasn't until my recent trip through Calumet and Waupaca Counties that I noticed that they had these signs also.  Brown County usually had bolder letters while Calumet used narrower letters on their previous signs.  The signs still use the Brown County trademark of signing a county road straight at an intersection whether it's at a stop sign or not. 

[dvferyance]

I have noticed some Waukesha County signs that look Wisdot made too. I am not sure if they were made by Wisdot or Waukesha County just trying to copy wisdot.

[peterj920]

I have noticed some Waukesha County signs that look Wisdot made too. I am not sure if they were made by Wisdot or Waukesha County just trying to copy wisdot.

Check the anti-tampering warning stickers on the bottom. 

[DaBigE]

Saying they're WisDOT-made is a misnomer as WisDOT does not make any of their own signs, and haven't for quite some time. They act as the conduit (or a "middleman" in other terms) for state-spec signs for counties and some municipal orders, including the vandal stickers. All the signs are either vendor-produced or come from the prison system and are warehoused at the sign shop. Counties are not required to get their signs through WisDOT, which is why many counties still sport non-WisDOT spec individual panels route signs.

Not an all-inclusive list by any means, but Milwaukee and Madison make their own signs (and do contract work for some neighboring communities)...I believe Appleton and Eau Claire might make their own as well.

[peterj920]

Saying they're WisDOT-made is a misnomer as WisDOT does not make any of their own signs, and haven't for quite some time. They act as the conduit (or a "middleman" in other terms) for state-spec signs for counties and some municipal orders, including the vandal stickers. All the signs are either vendor-produced or come from the prison system and are warehoused at the sign shop. Counties are not required to get their signs through WisDOT, which is why many counties still sport non-WisDOT spec individual panels route signs.

Not an all-inclusive list by any means, but Milwaukee and Madison make their own signs (and do contract work for some neighboring communities)...I believe Appleton and Eau Claire might make their own as well.

Brown and Calumet Counties did make their own signs for years, but the new signs posted look exactly like signs that WISDOT posts with the oversized arrows.  I think they look better than the signs that the counties made themselves, but have noticed them popping up in those 2 counties and others when they didn't before.   I know my pics aren't the greatest since it was night time but they were taken from Brown County P. 

[DaBigE]

Saying they're WisDOT-made is a misnomer as WisDOT does not make any of their own signs, and haven't for quite some time. They act as the conduit (or a "middleman" in other terms) for state-spec signs for counties and some municipal orders, including the vandal stickers. All the signs are either vendor-produced or come from the prison system and are warehoused at the sign shop. Counties are not required to get their signs through WisDOT, which is why many counties still sport non-WisDOT spec individual panels route signs.

Not an all-inclusive list by any means, but Milwaukee and Madison make their own signs (and do contract work for some neighboring communities)...I believe Appleton and Eau Claire might make their own as well.

Brown and Calumet Counties did make their own signs for years, but the new signs posted look exactly like signs that WISDOT posts with the oversized arrows.  I think they look better than the signs that the counties made themselves, but have noticed them popping up in those 2 counties and others when they didn't before.   I know my pics aren't the greatest since it was night time but they were taken from Brown County P.

It could also be that the locals are using WisDOT specs to produce their signs, and source the uni-sign plywood from one of several vendors. The uni-signs do make installation go much faster.