Determination of Maintenance

It shall be the City of Blaine Public Works Director's responsibility to decide which signs should be replaced by maintenance personnel or by contract. Compliance with MN MUTCD retroreflectivity requirements will be achieved using a management method using the expected sign life.

The City of Blaine adopts 15 years for the life of signs with ASTM Type XI sheeting material. Applicable sign life may be revisited to determine appropriate length based on the latest research.

Maintenance Guidelines

Maintenance personnel should replace signs according to the following guidelines:

• All signs are inspected annually for normal daytime visibility and legibility. Nighttime surveys may also be completed every few years to discover locations of vandalism or other issues. All signs not performing their function shall be repaired or scheduled for replacement.
• Before each year's replacement program, the sign crew should review all signs. Additional signing, relocation of signing, or removal of needless signing can be incorporated into the program at this time. The available sign budget and the current inventory will be reviewed to determine feasibility of maintaining the current inventory.
• The replacement program includes the use of the latest standards for sign design, dimensioning, mounting, and roadway location.
• As each new sign is installed, the mounting should be checked for deterioration. Bent or excessively rusted posts should be replaced. All posts will comply with the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware for crash-worthiness.