Who Is Responsible for Signs When a Numbered Route Is Realigned?

[Amaury]

I'll use the recent realignment of US Route 12 here Walla Walla County as an example. All of the signs, like mileposts, on the old highway, including in Touchet and Lowden, of course remain standing, such as this "Entering Touchet" sign: https://maps.app.goo.gl/A8aditdLBGdHKuaA8. They still have the DOT stickers on the back showing they belong to WSDOT. However, now that the highway has been realigned, is WSDOT still responsible for them or are they now the responsibility of Walla Walla County? Is there like a mass update that will take place to remove all WSDOT stickers and replace them with Walla Walla County stickers or whatever it is, if the latter?

[Big John]

Depends on any agreement between the state and a local agency if a jurisdiction transfer was done.  I don't know how Washington state laws work in this case.

[Bitmapped]

The signs are normally a package deal with the roadway. Whoever owns the road is responsible for the signs along it, barring situations like signs near interchanges or anything otherwise delegated out by standard practice/law in that state.

With turnback situations I've seen in Ohio and Pennsylvania, the DOT might take town their route signs but everything else is left in place so you might see DOT markings but it's no longer their sign.

[LilianaUwU]

I know that when QC 199's northern end in Grande-Entrée was truncated slightly to a roundabout (yes, a roundabout in a village of maybe 300 people), the MTQ has replaced signs on the orphaned segment. This also happened with the replacement of Pont du Havre-aux-Maisons, where the two old QC 199 alignments got new signage.

[epzik8]

Yep, if it remains in the state's system the state would remain responsible for signage, and if it's transferred to county or municipal maintenance they would presumably assume that responsibility.

[Rothman]

Yep, if it remains in the state's system the state would remain responsible for signage, and if it's transferred to county or municipal maintenance they would presumably assume that responsibility.

...unless it stays part of the state's system and is nonetheless maintained by locals.