Interstate 11 alignment, though Vegas and points north

[Scott5114]

I drove by the I-11/Lake Mead Blvd interchange at 3am and NDOT was out there changing out the mastarm sign faces.

I was nearly home by the time I realized that it probably wouldn't have registered as weird in Las Vegas to ask them for one of the old ones (I did this to Oklahoma DOT once and they yelled at me). Alas.

[ClassicHasClass]

I've got a cutout Nevada US 95 with the state bar, but that's the only Nevada sign I've been able to land.

[DenverBrian]

These days, there are several vendors who'll make you up a new "old" sign for $120 or so.

[Max Rockatansky]

I ended up getting a bunch of Nevada shields out of a New Jersey estate sale a couple years ago.  I bought a U.S. 95 shield out of Nevada from Alps I want to say in 2020?  On occasion stuff pops up on eBay, seems to not be a lot of demand given the prices aren't often high.  I'm sure actual I-11 shields will make it to the used market sooner or later. 

[Bobby5280]

These days, there are several vendors who'll make you up a new "old" sign for $120 or so.

It might be possible for vendors to mass produce such signs for a little less money, if their production quantity was at least in the dozens or more. Authentic sign materials (like .125" Aluminum and diamond-grade high intensity reflective vinyl) aren't cheap. Price per sign may be higher if artwork has to be created and it's just a quantity of one job.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm sure Jake would be happy to make any of you a I-11 sign. 

[Sub-Urbanite]

Was down in Vegas last weekend. A good chunk of the signage is up. There are reassurance shields for the length of the new I-11 designation. A few, but not all, of the "Minutes to" signs have been updated from 515 to 11. The northbound BGS' on I-15 approaching the Spaghetti Bowl have been replaced.

One thing that was notable: The BGS' on eastbound Flamingo approaching I-11 have been replaced, but the lettering is already melting off. Couldn't snap a photo but it was... something.

[Max Rockatansky]

NDOT has an issue with the current vinyl they use.  It is severely prone to peeling in the heat. 

[Bobby5280]

They're probably using plain "engineer's grade" reflective vinyl for the computer cut lettering. Even in "normal" weather conditions that kind of vinyl can't be expected to last more than 5-7 years. Plenty of big green signs in Oklahoma have reflective vinyl lettering flaking off the sign panels.

Considering how much those sign structures cost, they might do better simply using computer routed aluminum letters coated with reflective paint. It's either do that or just print the sign graphics with the green background and all directly onto the type 3 high intensity reflective vinyl. We took that approach with some enter/do not enter signs we installed at the entrance and exit roads to Lawton Fort Sill Regional Airport.

[Scott5114]

I don't know that the grade of reflective sheeting matters so much, since the issue is normally not with the sheeting itself delaminating, but rather the adhesive giving out. I actually see more issues with the black (and thus non-reflective) vinyl. I think the black absorbs so much heat that it literally melts the adhesive off of the sign face.

Arizona sometimes uses demountable copy, probably for this reason.

[abqtraveler]

Five days old, it looks like. Knockdown replacement, maybe?

I just love how they used a Sharpie to mark the sign as NDOT's with the date of installation. It's a much more primitive approach compared to the inventory tags you see the back of highway signage in most places.

[Bobby5280]

I don't know that the grade of reflective sheeting matters so much, since the issue is normally not with the sheeting itself delaminating, but rather the adhesive giving out.

The "engineer's grade" reflective vinyl just isn't very good for long term outdoor use. The stuff just becomes brittle very quickly. It behaves like cheap "intermediate" vinyl. It doesn't handle hot/cold weather changes very well. We avoid using that kind of vinyl with any vehicle graphics because it can fail on those surfaces quickly. It's better to go with a metallic 2 mil "high performance" vinyl that can flex more in hot/cold cycles.

[Scott5114]

I just love how they used a Sharpie to mark the sign as NDOT's with the date of installation. It's a much more primitive approach compared to the inventory tags you see the back of highway signage in most places.

This didn't even strike me as odd—for many years Oklahoma DOT practice was to do the same, but in grease pencil rather than Sharpie. The handwriting was usually sloppier, though. (In recent years, some ODOT divisions have shifted to using stickers for this purpose, while others have just stopped marking installation dates at all.)