Cash-strapped communities across Minnesota won't have to spend tens of millions of dollars to replace traffic signs — many of which still have years of life left in them — after a federal regulation requiring them to do so was shelved Monday at U.S. Sen. Al Franken’s urging.
Franken, D-Minn., said the rule was estimated by state transportation officials to cost Minnesota communities between $55 million and $76 million.
"Communities all over Minnesota are already struggling to pay for essential services and meet their budgets, and these regulations would have forced them to pay tens of millions of dollars for signs they don't need," said Franken. "I'm glad the Obama Administration listened to the concerns of communities across Minnesota and decided to eliminate these unreasonable deadlines, giving them more control over their budgets and their road signs."
Koochiching County Highway Engineer Doug Grindall told The Journal in 2011 the cost for signs on just the county road system was $44,000.
“Keep in mind that it is just material costs,” he noted. “Installation for an employee’s time, vehicle driving to the site, Gopher State One Call (where the sign posts are also replaced) would cost as much or more than the sign.”
The bid for about 200 signs on the state aid system was more $74,000, according to Grindall.
“Multiply this figure times the number of signs on state highways, county and municipal state aid highways and streets, township roads, and other local systems and the amount must be out of sight,” Grindall said. “This is money that could probably be better spent on upgrading and improving these roads.”
U.S. Congressman Chip Cravaack in July 2011 introduced the Rural County Mandate Relief Act, which would eliminate the federal mandate that states and local municipalities must keep their road and street signs bright enough to meet federal government brightness standards. The bill allows the local governments to decide when signs are replaced.
In 2011, Sen. Franken urged the Federal Highway Administration to reconsider its rules that would require communities all over Minnesota to spend millions of dollars replacing their signs with newer, more reflective signs before the original signs had worn out. Monday, the FHWA announced that they would eliminate that rule, along with a number of other signage regulations, instead allowing municipalities to upgrade the signs when they are already scheduled to be replaced.
