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City gives a preview of super-sized street signs

By Tara Fasol, The Southern

Sunday, July 20, 2008 10:38 PM CDT

WEST FRANKFORT - At the corner of Poplar and Jefferson streets in West Frankfort there is a street sign, like every other corner in town, except this sign is really big.

"The state increased the size," said Street Commissioner Frank Browning. "You don't need to see them three blocks away."

Mike Pugsley with Allied Municipal Supply in Taylorville recently visited the West Frankfort City Hall with what Browning called bad news.

Pugsley said a federal highway traffic safety control device manual has spelled out a number of guidelines that must be changed in the next several years, including the size of lettering on street signs, meaning the signs themselves must get bigger, as well.

"It would take about $100,000 for us to replace all of our signs," Browning said. "You have to get new signs and they aren't painted on the back, so you have four of them for each post. You have to have the post and those aren't cheap. Then you have to have somebody to go around and put them all up and take the old ones down."

Ty Beard, owner of Allied, said his business is trying to inform cities about the changing regulations and brought an example sign to be put up in front of the West Frankfort City Hall.

Pugsley was putting that sign up Wednesday as Browning and Mayor Marion Presley stood outside talking about the noticeably bigger size.

"It has to be 30 inches long and 9 inches in height," Browning said. "They were 6 inches before with 4-inch lettering."

Beard said the new signs will have 6-inch lettering to comply with the Uniform Traffic Safety Control Device regulations.

"It was passed (regulations) in 2002, with a nine-year phase-in period," he said. "But now they have until 2012 to comply."

Beard said the signs are a little "alarming" at first because of the size, but he said once they are erected and viewed from the road, they aren't as intimidating.

"We are simply making this part of our sales presentation," he said. "The federal government's style of getting the word out isn't always good. It's not uncommon for cities to be unaware of these changes."

Browning said he isn't sure West Frankfort is going to get in a rush to purchase the super-sized signs, but he was willing to let the company put one up and give residents a preview.

tara.fasol@thesouthern.com / 351-5824