It’s a good sign

From Six-Bits, District 6 newsletter
Driving the highways of eastern Idaho isn’t a pleasure trip for Cleston Mason, Corey Finn or Karl Grover. That’s because each of the District 6 technicians is obsessed with looking for signs in need of repair or replacement.

Meet the sign crew, charged with maintaining District 6’s 15,000-plus traffic signs.

They patrol 1,000-plus miles of highways in nine counties looking for downed, damaged, dimmed or dirty signs. Their job is to ensure signs are in place and presentable, thus furthering ITD’s missions of safety, mobility and economic opportunity.

“Maintaining all the regulatory, warning and guide signs in the district is a big challenge,” Cleston (crew leader) says. “We monitor all of them, including mileposts on every state highway in the region.

Signs are important because they regulate traffic, helping prevent crashes.”

Signs should last 10 to 15 years, Cleston says. “It depends on the direction they face.”

Wind and precipitation take their toll, as do other weather events. “I’ve seen the face of signs burned off by lightening.”

Drivers topple 200 signs a year, he says. Vandals, meanwhile, deface (shoot, paint, etc.) 100 signs annually, and thieves make off with about 50 signs each year.

Under Idaho code (40-2311), defacing or destroying a traffic sign is a crime. Of course stealing signs also is illegal (Idaho code 18-2403, 2408), punishable by fine of up to $1,000 and/or jail time of up to a year.

Rise and Shine
Cleston, Corey and Karl meet each morning at 7 o’clock to plan their day.

A typical day includes repairing or replacing signs, installing new signs, or placing or removing thermoplastic road markings (crosswalks, turn arrows and stop bars). In the winter, Corey and Karl relieve snowplow operators in the Sugar City area, as needed.

Once each year, crew members drive district routes at night to check sign reflectivity.

“A sign that has lost its reflectivity is just a black mark on the road,” Cleston says.

Work hours normally are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

What is the most enjoyable part of their work?

“Seeing accomplishments at the end of the day,” Corey says.

“We’re never stuck in one place,” Karl adds.

Cleston appreciates working with Corey and Karl, who are “thorough and dependable.”

What is the least enjoyable part of the job?

“Digging postholes,” Corey replies, “especially in Salmon, where shoulders are straight shale rock.”

The crew installs 4-by-4-inch or 6-by-6-inch wooden posts on state highways and 6-by-8-inch steel I-beams on the interstate, according to Federal Highway Administration specifications. Posts are 12- to 24-feet long, planted 3- to 6-feet deep.

Crew members use an auger truck to drill postholes, although they have to clean out holes with shovels and diggers (handheld grippers) before placing the posts. They often dig postholes by hand, since augers are not allowed near gas, power or fiber optic lines.

“Digging postholes makes for long summers,” Corey says.

District 6’s inventory of signs increases by 150 to 200 signs per year, as community expansion warrants additional signs. The Traffic Section directs where new signs will be located. Cleston orders new signs from the ITD sign shop in Boise, which manufactures traffic signs for all six districts, at a cost of $10 to $15 per square foot. New signs reflect light better than old ones, he says.

Stop and Start
“Our first priority is reinstalling downed stop signs,” Cleston says.

“We try to do it within two hours of notice.”

If signs are spaced reasonably close, the crew might change or replace 25
signs per day, he says. He calls Dig Line Inc. (statewide call center) to request that utilities identify the location of underground lines by painting or staking paths.

“Reconnecting a fiber line costs about $50,000,” Cleston says.

Over the years, the crew has cut a few utility lines, but only because utility representatives mismarked line paths. Crew members record each repair, replacement and new installation on work sheets. Cleston then enters information from the sheets into a database for tracking.

Lean and Mean
When ITD reorganized its districts in 2011, the sign crew shrank from five to three personnel, impacting production capacity. The crew now focuses on sign repairs and replacements, with other tasks completed as time permits.

“Think of it,” Corey says: “Three guys are responsible for more than 15,000 signs on 1,000-plus miles of highway. It’s a terrific example of doing more with less.”

Cleston joined the sign crew 27 years ago, in 1986, and was named lead worker in 1994. He now reports to Maintenance Supervisor Randy Drake.

Corey and Karl joined the sign crew in 2001 and 2003, respectively. Corey was named a lead worker in 2003.

“Signage enables safe and efficient travel,” Cleston says, “but signs are only as good as their visibility and readability.”

Published 11-15-13