Date codes on signs

[roadman]

so that '30 might very well have it on the back?

did the sign shop make all the route shields?  I get the idea they did, having never seen a counterexample, but am not 100% sure

With the exception of new construction (mostly Interstate routes), MassDPW didn't farm out much sign work to private contractors until the mid to late 1970s.  As such, nearly all the secondary directional signs and route markers on Massachusetts state highways were fabricated by the sign shop and installed by MassDPW District forces.

[agentsteel53]

yep, sure explains the distinct forms of Mass. route shields. 

[thenetwork]

Colorado's date codes are pretty easy to spot and to translate.  CDOT-issued signs will have a color-coded sticker posted on the front of the sign to denote the year of installation. It's about the same size as a license plate renewal sticker, with the 2-digit year dead center on the sticker.  As far as I know, this dating system has been around since the 80s. Once you know what years have what color schemes, they are easy to date when driving by them at high speeds.

(I'm still looking to devote a day of snapping up and putting a flicker album together with all the sticker dates.  There are some real old signs still in the field).

[Darkchylde]

Last I checked, Louisiana simply writes down the date and year the sign was placed with a permanent marker, on the back. I could probably walk up to the freshly installed LA 1088 reassurance marker near my house and see if they're still doing it that way.