5/7/2014
It’s a good sign
RIGBY - 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 Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) technicians is obsessed with looking for signs in need of repair or replacement.
Meet ITD's eastern Idaho (District 6) sign crew, charged with maintaining 15,000-plus traffic signs. They patrol more than 1,000 miles of highways in nine counties looking for downed, damaged, dimmed or dirty signs. They ensure signs are in place and presentable, furthering ITD’s missions of safety, mobility and economic opportunity.
Here are a few photos of the sign crew. Photo One shows Mason changing a stop sign on Idaho 33 east of Newdale (stop-sign issues are the crew's first priority); Photo Two shows Finn and Grover changing a speed-zone sign on the U.S. 20 business loop east of St. Anthony.
“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 100 signs annually and thieves make off with approximately 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) and punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and/or jail time of up to a year.
Arise and shine
Cleston, Corey and Karl meet each morning at seven to plan the day, which 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.
Crewmembers also occassionally 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.
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 x 4-inch or 6 x 6-inch wooden posts on state highways and 6 x 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.
Crewmembers 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, because 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. (a 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, because utility representatives mismarked line paths.
Crewmembers record and store each repair, replacement and new installation for future reference.
Lean and mean
When ITD reorganized its districts in 2011, the District 6 sign crew shrank from five to three people, impacting production capacity. The crew now focuses on sign repairs and replacements, with other tasks completed as time permits.
“Three guys are responsible for more than 15,000 signs on 1,000-plus miles of highway. It’s a great example of improving efficiency," Corey says.
Cleston joined the sign crew 27 years ago, in 1986, and was named lead worker in 1994.
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."