Construction Identification Signs for Stimulus Projects

[akotchi]

The FHWA has issued directives and guidance regarding placement of Construction Identification Signs in advance of construction zones funded by ARRA funding.

These are the sign details:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/economicrecovery/arrasigndetail.pdf

This is the guidance that goes with them:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/economicrecovery/arrasignguidance.htm

Here also is a page that describes a bit the background behind the logos on the signs, and includes some interesting comments
http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/two_logos_for_the_road_to_reco.php

Two projects in my office that are either out to bid or soon to be will have these signs posted.  I have yet to see one in the field, but when I do, I will try to get some photos.

Your thoughts?

[Bryant5493]

^^


Be well,

Bryant

[WillWeaverRVA]

That's a pretty spiffy design. I'll have to get a photo of one if I ever encounter one.

[deathtopumpkins]

Wonder how much they spent to design that sign... 

[akotchi]

Quote from deathtopumpkins

Wonder how much they spent to design that sign... 

By the same amount the infrastructure funding is deficient . . . 

[Duke87]

I've always thought signs like this to be stupid. I mean, what reason other than political advertisement is there to announce to drivers as they pass that it's a stimulus project? It serves no practical purpose, the sign's just an unnecessary distraction.

Besides, wouldn't the money spent making and placing these things be better spent on actual construction?

[Alps]

My office also has one of these projects coming out.  I glanced at the plans (some overpass replacement I think) and what strikes me is that yes, a lot of thought went into these signs.  How about using the standard "Your tax dollars at work" but instead say "Federal Reinvestment Recovery Act dollars at work"?  A lot cheaper and gets the same message across.

[US71]

Whoever was looking for a photo of the ARRA signs, here's one taken a couple weeks ago:

[Alex]

You knew there had to be a Clearview example of this...

[Scott5114]

I've always thought signs like this to be stupid. I mean, what reason other than political advertisement is there to announce to drivers as they pass that it's a stimulus project? It serves no practical purpose, the sign's just an unnecessary distraction.

Besides, wouldn't the money spent making and placing these things be better spent on actual construction?

The purpose of the sign is for transparency reasons. One of the big reasons that the TARP program was panned was because to the average bystander it appeared that $600 billion just evaporated overnight. Went to the banks, and then we never heard of it again, save for the AIG bonus controversy.

President Obama has signaled that he wishes his administration to be much more transparent that his predecessor's. He ordered a lot of papers declassified. Transparency is especially critical for ARRA, since otherwise the government's dumping money into God knows what, the same thing that TARP was criticized for. The signs are placed so that taxpayers can more easily see where some of the ARRA money is going. (Yes, there is a political angle to this too. If you see that the program benefits you/affects your area, you're more likely to support it.)

Also, the thing about stimulus funds is that it doesn't matter how it is spent, just that it is spent. The idea behind a stimulus is to get the money flow going again, and the government "stimulates" money flow by spending some of the tax monies. If you employ a signmaker, he has more money to spend on rent, milk, eggs, Burger King, shirts, whatever it is that signmaker wants. Then the landlord, farmers, Burger King employees, clothiers, and so forth have more money, and so on and so forth.

[J N Winkler]

Just to add a couple of items to Scott's excellent post:

*  The stimulus signs are small signs in terms of letter size, mounting hardware, etc., so they are an extremely small percentage of total project cost even for minor resurfacing projects.  (The cost difference between small and large guide signs is huge.  A freeway guide sign rehabilitation contract will replace about 100-200 large guide signs for about $1 million, which implies an average cost per sign in the thousands of dollars.  In contradistinction, it is not uncommon to see fairly large small signs replacement contracts for under $100,000.)

*  Although FHWA encourages use of the stimulus signs, I do not think they are actually mandated.  I have been collecting stimulus projects since last December and only a very small minority have had details for the stimulus signs.

[Scott5114]

I'm sure if you could collect one of the actual signs, they would be worth a lot someday due to the historic value!

[agentsteel53]

I think that emblem on the right (the Arkansas with the red, green, blue in it) needs to appear in cutout shield form.

[Revive 755]

So some other state beside Illinois is posting these signs - and I've also been in NE, IA, IN, OH, WV, MD, MO and PA in the past three weeks - but it is possible I wasn't on the right roads.

I kept failing to photograph the Illinois ones because they looked like a standard green "So and Such Place Next Right" sign until it was too late to get the camera in position.  There's one on I-74 just west of Peoria, believe there's another somewhere else on I-74 and should be one on I-80.

[US71]

I'll be in MO later this week. I'll watch for signs and try to get a snap or two 

[J N Winkler]

States for which I have seen stimulus sign details:  WA, CA, UT, KS, MI.  But I am sure I am missing out a few others because I am on rather odd schedules for collecting project plans for various states.

[rmsandw]

I snapped a pic of one posted on IL 50 between Peotone and Monee.  It should be posted in the next week, hopefully.

[Mr_Northside]

So some other state beside Illinois is posting these signs - and I've also been in NE, IA, IN, OH, WV, MD, MO and PA in the past three weeks - but it is possible I wasn't on the right roads.

I saw one on US-30 in Pennsylvania for a project in between Ligonier and the airport in Latrobe.  It was Westbound, and I'm pretty sure it was right near the US-30 / PA-982 cloverleaf. 
I remember making a comment to my friend about stimulus money being used to make signs touting the spending of stimulus money.

[yanksfan6129]

There's now one of these signs up at the I-80/US 46/NJ 23 interchange in Wayne, New Jersey. There is a bunch of construction activities going on over there.

[Ian]

I remember seeing this sign on the Everett Turnpike in New Hampshire. I thought it was a NH thing, but I see it isn't...
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/NewHampshireTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5353907790933866722

There is another photo of the sign.
i

[okroads]

A few weeks ago, I took this picture of one of these signs on RI 114 north of Newport, RI:

[burgess87]

I like it.

Looks like I've got a new sign to make for SimCity. 

[mightyace]

Taken in Ohio on my recent trip up north:

20091224 I-71 N @ MM 30-C by mightyace, on Flickr

[hbelkins]

Arkansas' version says "Keeping Arkansans At Work."

[Bickendan]

Oregon has a different variation. I'll snap a picture next time I hit I-405.