An Analytic Survey of Signing Inventory Procedures in Virginia

About the report:

An analytic survey was made of the highway signing and sign-maintenance inventory systems in each of the districts of the Virginia Department of Highways. Of particular concern in reviewing the procedures was the format of the inventory forms, the applications of inventory information, the time and effort required to maintain the inventory, the reference uses of the inventory, and the needed changes in district inventory procedures and formats. The survey revealed a diversity of engineering opinions regarding the need for and the applications of sign inventories. The formats of district inventories varied from log sheets listing numerous signs per page to individual index cards containing detailed information for each sign. The uses of inventory systems included logging maintenance activities, recording sign replacements, conducting sign inspections, making service life studies, and providing court case references. This report does not recommend, for two reasons, the adoption of a uniform sign inventory format to be used throughout the districts. First, most district traffic engineers felt that their inventory procedures did not warrant change, and secondly, a decision to adopt a uniform procedure would of necessity be an administrative matter. A further compounding factor is that inventory requirements vary among districts. However, in the event that a uniform procedure was to be implemented in the future, the format suggested as a result of this review is a combination of the index card system and a master control log. A similar procedure currently used in one district provides complete inventory information with a minimum of record keeping.

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