REPLACING VANDALIZED ROAD SIGNS COSTS FLORIDA $335,000 ANNUALLY

UNUSABLE VANDALIZED ROAD SIGNS ARE SOLD AS SCRAP METAL ONCE A YEAR, WHILE OTHERS ARE SUBJECTED TO A RECLAIMING PROCESS WHICH BEGINS WITH STRAIGHTENING OUT SMALL DENTS. THIS IS FOLLOWED BY A CHEMICAL BATH (THAT DISSOLVES PAINT AND PLASTIC COATINGS), AND A PRESSURIZED WATER BATH. THEY ARE FINALLY CLEANED AND DRIED BY AIR HOSES. THE ECONOMY OF RECLAIMING IS EVIDENCED IN THE FACT THAT THE RECLAIMED METAL COST IS APPROXIMATELY 20 CENTS PER SQUARE FOOT WHEREAS NEW METAL COSTS ABOUT 60 CENTS PER SQUARE FOOT. THE COST OF PRODUCING A SIGN IS BETWEEN $1.60 AND $3.50 PER SQUARE FOOT. PAINTED MESSAGES ARE SILK-SCREENED, WHILE OTHERS ARE SELF-ADHESIVE MATERIALS APPLIED TO THE BASIC ALUMINUM (HARD ALLOY) BLANK THROUGH HEAT OR PRESSURE. TWO OBVIOUS VICTIMS OF VANDALISM ARE ALLIGATOR ALLEY MILE POSTS AND ROUTE MARKERS. THE SIGNS, WHICH FEATURE A HITCH-HIKING ALLIGATOR PAINTED IN SIX BRIGHT COLORS, WERE CONSIDERED TOO ATTRACTIVE AND NOW ARE REPLACED BY PLAIN BLACK AND WHITE SIGNS. THE COST OF REPLACING VANDALIZED SIGNS HAS ALMOST TRIPLED IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

• Record URL:
  • https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrnews/hr-news-53-01.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Publication Date: 1973-12

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 15-6
• Serial:
  • Highway Research News
  • Issue Number: 53

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aluminum; Cleaning; Costs; Equipment maintenance; Land reclamation; Materials; Scrap; Traffic signs; Vandalism
• Old TRIS Terms: Chemical cleaning; Reclamation; Traffic sign maintenance; Traffic sign materials
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219178
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 16 1974 12:00AM