Two ways to save on upfront costs
Many public works departments have the tools and machinery necessary to fabricate signs. If yours is one, your city won’t have to outsource this expense.
Department participation ensures proposed designs incorporate materials city employees are familiar with and are fabricated in a way that allows for in-house repairs and maintenance.
Having public works handle installation, in part or as a whole, can save an additional 15% to 18%.
Even if your city chooses a design that’s out of the scope for in-house production, installation requirements generally follow the same regulations as every other traffic control device. Any feature designed to be placed in the right-of-way must conform to crash-testing and breakaway standards. Getting state DOT approval for a new foundation design is a long and expensive process, so virtually every sign a designer suggests will use existing foundation models.
Public works feedback during development ensures that any proposed design uses the foundations and break-away systems the department prefers. Let’s say employees are familiar with a triangular base system, but have never worked with a base-plate friction system. If so, don’t let your designer propose a system that uses anything other than the triangular base.
Next page: Budget stretching via project phasing
