ROADS & TRANSPORTATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT

SIGN AND PAVEMENT MARKING REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................2 FORWARD .......................................................................................................................3 1. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS ...............................................................................4 2. SIGN DESIGN & REFLECTIVITY ........................................................................4 3. SIGN MATERIAL AND PLACEMENT..................................................................4 4. ROAD NAME SIGN REQUIREMENTS ...............................................................5 5. PAVEMENT MARKINGS .......................................................................................5 6. TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES PLANS .............................................................5 7. REFERENCES ........................................................................................................6 8. SUPPLIERS .............................................................................................................7

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FORWARD

The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 47.36, Traffic Control Devices, requires the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to adopt uniform standards for traffic control devices installed along state highways. The law also requires that traffic control devices along county roads fully conform to these adopted standards, and those along city streets conform to the extent possible. The Washington Administrative Code, WAC 468-95-010, officially adopted the June 2001 Millennium Edition of the Manual on Uniform Streets and Highway for Streets and Highways (MUTCD). The Washington state secretary of transportation duly adopted this document published by the Federal Highway Administration and approved by the Federal Highway Administrator as the national standard for all highways open to public travel. The manual includes in part many illustrations, some of which depend on color for proper interpretation. The purpose of these the following county requirements and guidance is to supplement the adopted standards for use at the local level. This includes sizes, reflectivity, mounting equipment, lettering type, pavement markings and plan preparation. As intended by state law these requirements and guidelines are intended to promote uniformity in the installation and design of traffic control devices. These guidelines and requirements are not intended to provide for all situations but to be flexible in form and content. They are intended to assist but not substitute for competent work by design professionals. It is expected that land surveyors, engineers, architects, and contractors will bring to each project the best of their skills. The Traffic Engineering Division of the Roads & Transportation Services Department developed this document and staff can be contacted by called 360-786-5495 and are located at 9605 Tilley Road SE, Tumwater WA 98512. The following requirements and guidelines are hereby adopted as a policy for use by public and private entities for the purposes of designing and installing traffic control devices within Thurston County.

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1. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

1.1. All Signs shall be installed in accordance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the Washington State Department of Transportation Sign Fabrication Manual and the Washington State Department Standard Plans.

1.2. All PUBLIC streets shall have Street Name Signs with white letters on a GREEN

background.

1.3. All PRIVATE streets shall have Street Name Signs with white letters on a BLUE background.

2. SIGN DESIGN & REFLECTIVITY

2.1. Stop Signs shall be 30"x30" with Type IV Micro Prismatic Retro-reflective material. Some signs may require an upgrade in size and type based upon the results of an engineering study and/or current policies.

2.2. Generally all Warning Signs (W-series, Black on Yellow) shall be 30"x30", or as specified in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, with Super Engineering Grade Reflectivity.

2.2.1. Intersection Ahead Signs, Stop Signs and Signal Ahead Signs shall be 36” by 36”.

2.3. Letters on road name (i.e., D3) signs are to be reflective (scotchlite reflective material).

3. SIGN MATERIAL AND PLACEMENT

3.1. Sign placement within the Urban Growth Boundary shall conform to the respective city standards and/or MUTCD and/or as directed by Thurston County Traffic Engineer.

3.2. Road name signs shall be posted at the all intersections and all sides of the post.

3.3. All signs shall be on 1/8” (0.125”) thick, aluminium blanks with a minimum radius of ½” on all for corners.

3.4. The signs shall be attached to both sides of the post with a minimum of two rivets.

3.5. Posts shall be perforated 14 Gauge 2” x 2” O.D. galvanized steel posts and set in a concrete foundation as specified in the exhibits.

3.6. Mounting heights shall be as specified in the exhibits and secondary signs may be placed 1 foot less the height specified in the exhibits.

3.7. All posts shall be installed in a straight and plumb position.

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4. ROAD NAME SIGN REQUIREMENTS

4.1. Lettering shall be upper case letters in standard alphabet “B” or “C”.

4.2. All Street Name lettering shall have a minimum height of 6” (9” signs). This will be applicable in most cases with a new or existing roadway intersects with a county roadway.

4.2.1. Except where both intersecting streets have a posted speed less than 30mph, then Street Name lettering shall have a minimum height of 4” (6” signs). This usually is only applicable to internal intersections within subdivisions.

4.3. All street name signs include street names, block numbers, and quadrants as assigned by the addressing officer.

4.4. Sign background shall be medium green (public roads) or blue (private roads). The letters shall be white.

4.5. All Street Name Signs shall have white borders

4.5.1. Except signs with 4” street name lettering where white borders are optional.

5. PAVEMENT MARKINGS 5.1. Pavement markings shall be a thermo plastic material and shall be from approved

materials listed in the WSDOT Qualified Products List (QPL). 5.2. Stop lines criteria is as follows:

5.2.1. Stop lines shall be solid white lines and 24” wide when intersecting with collectors and arterials.

5.2.2. The stop line will extend across the approaching lane from the centerline of the approaching road to the curb line or to the edge of the travel lane of the approaching road.

5.2.3. The stop line shall be located at a point behind which vehicles are required to stop in compliance with a STOP sign. The stop line used in conjunction with a stop sign should ordinarily be placed in line with the STOP sign. However, if the sign cannot be located exactly where vehicles are expected to stop, the stop line should be placed at the stopping point.

5.2.4. The stop line shall ordinarily be placed 4’ in advance of but no more than 30’ from the intersecting road.

5.3. Other pavement markings required for projects shall also match requirements of the MUTCD, current versions of WSDOT Standard Plans and Standard Specifications and/or as directed by the Thurston County Traffic Engineer.

5.4. Crosswalk markings, when required, shall be with longitudinal (parallel to traffic flow) lines for added visibility, see figure 3B-15 in the MUTCD.

6. TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES PLANS

6.1. For projects requiring engineering a traffic control devices a plan shall be prepared and contain the following elements

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6.1.1. Show locations of all traffic control devices on a sheet(s) designated for this purpose (markings, signs, etc…).

6.1.2. Provide a traffic control devices schedule that will clearly identify the type of device, location and material requirements. For signs this would also include street names, block numbers, quadrant and size.

6.1.3. Examples are provided as exhibits to this section.

6.2. For projects that do not require engineering a simplified approach may be used as follows:

6.2.1. If the roadway to be named runs north/south or nearly so, then submit a written street name and assignment of addressing request to the addressing official. Upon acceptance the Addressing Official and Road & Transportation Services will provide a completed form with information necessary to order and install any required signing (see exhibits for an example).

6.2.2. If the roadway to be named runs east/west or nearly so, then submit a written request for addressing assignment and road number. Upon acceptance the Addressing Official and Road & Transportation Services will provide a completed form with information necessary to order and install any required signing (see exhibits for an example).

6.3. Road naming shall comply with Chapter 13.44 of the Thurston County Code. The Thurston County Addressing Official shall approve all street names, block numbers and addresses. Please call 360-786-7590 to begin the process. The addressing official will need a site plan of the proposed project with proposed road names clearly identified.

6.4. The approved street names and other traffic control devices shall appear on the record drawings certified by the design engineer.

6.5. A note shall be added to this plan sheet requiring a pre-construction conference prior to installation. Call 786-5214 or contact the project’s inspector to setup this meeting.

6.6. For projects initiated by a land use application, all traffic control devices shall be supplied and installed by the developer or their representative.

7. REFERENCES

7.1. Manual on Uniform Traffic Devices Millennium Edition: Hard copies or CD Versions of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Devices Millennium Edition and cost information are available from the following organizations:

7.1.1. American Association of State Highway Organizations at: https://www.transportation.org/publications/bookstore.nsf/Home?OpenForm

7.1.2. Institute of Traffic Engineers at: http://www.ite.org/bookstore/index.asp

7.1.3. American Traffic Safety Services Association at: http://www.atssa.com/

7.2. Washington Department of Transportation Publications. Copies of WSDOT publications may be purchased from Washington State Department of Transportation, Engineering Publications Room SD3, and PO BOX 47408, OLYMPIA WA 98504-7408. Phone 360-705-7430 and Fax 360-705-6861 or viewed at by visiting their website at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/fasc/EngineeringPublications.

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7.2.1. Sign Fabrication Manual

7.2.2. Standard Plans

7.2.3. Standard Specifications for Road, Bridge and Municipal Construction

7.2.4. Qualified Product List

7.3. Washington State Administrative Code, WAC 468-95.

7.4. Revised Code of Washington, RCW 47.36.

7.5. Thurston County Code, 13.44TCC

7.6. Thurston County Road Standards

8. SUPPLIERS

8.1. Listed below are some companies that have expressed an interest in doing private sign work. The county provides this list only as a courtesy and does recommend one company over another.

Artworks 1045 South Bay RD NE Olympia, WA 98506 786-9790

Pacific Coast Precast LLC 2911 Ferguson St. SW ‘A’ Tumwater WA 98512 (360) 352-0142 base and post only

Westline Construction Box 7816 Olympia, WA 98508-7861 866-8331

Fast Signs 4127 Pacific Avenue SE Lacey, WA 98503 438-3800 tonya.tomono@fastsigns.com

Zumar Industries Inc. P.O. Box 11305 Tacoma, WA 1-800-426-7967

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