Sign Inventory Program

The Town of Bloomfield retained BETA to develop a user-friendly and non-proprietary Sign Inventory Program for its roadway network to meet MUTCD’s federally mandated requirements. The Asset Management Program was developed utilizing ESRI’s ArcView coupled with BETA’s custom MS Access application. This system provides Bloomfield with the opportunity to synchronize the sign data with their Pavement Management System also developed by BETA.

The system development process began with BETA’s GIS-based sign inspection approach. This involved creating a field data collection tool that allows the user to collect information in the field via pull-down menus and user-friendly forms. 2,377 signs were located using the GIS basemap and attributed accordingly. A point feature is placed spatially utilizing the latest orthophotography layer as a guide. Data collected included the following: Sign type, material, size, color, height, condition, post type, and post condition. Retroreflectivity readings were measured for each sign using a retroreflectometer obtained through the UNH T2 Center.

The next step in the process was to develop a Sign Replacement Plan based on the guidelines provided in the MUTCD. Bloomfield decided on a prioritized approach based on sign type and overall condition. The final steps in the project were system deployment and end-user training. Considering the system runs on MS Office/ESRI platform it can also be integrated with a maintenance program already in place or in development.