By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The Michigan Department of Transportation is beginning the process of replacing all of the signs along the US-23 corridor in Genesee County.

M-DOT is investing $1.3 (m) million to upgrade all of the signage along 12.5 miles from the Livingston/Genesee County line to I-75. MDOT Spokeswoman Jocelyn Hall says the project is safety-related to ensure nighttime visibility and stability of sign supports and ultimately, reduce the number of vehicle fatalities that occur during nighttime hours. She says it’s actually a federal recommendation to replace signs every 15 to 20 years because of the retro-reflectivity wearing off on existing signs. Hall says there is a bit of a misconception that when people see crews replacing signs it equates to a waste of taxpayer dollars that could be better spent on potholes or in other areas. She says the replacement falls under federal guideline for traffic and safety – adding generally the sign replacements are almost entirely covered with federal budget dollar versus the state transportation budget.

Hall says the signs are on a printed sheet-metal type of product but over time because of weather elements, they start to lose their ability to reflect light back at motorists and it becomes more difficult to efficiently read those signs during nighttime hours. Hall noted the number of fatal crashes that occur during nighttime hours is significantly higher than fatal crashes that happen during the daylight. She says the project will improve safety for nighttime drivers and make sure the signs can be easily read.

Hall says all of the signs along the corridor are being replaced – those on the side of the road and the large signs that have truss foundations hanging over the road that someone would see when approaching an exit or interchange. Hall says crews will not just replace the signs but the posts they’re on as well to make sure they’re of structural integrity, to make sure the posts support the signs and won’t get blown over by wind or bad weather. She says they also want to make sure the signs are on a post that offers a breakaway option if a vehicle were to lose control and hit one of them, as they don’t want a sign to do even more damage to a crash situation.

Hall says the majority of the signs can be replaced with only moving shoulder closures during daytime hours so motorists should prepare for reductions in speed as they approach the shoulder closures. However since there won’t be daytime lane closures, crews replacing the signs will be working right next to live traffic. Hall says there will be advanced signage to alert motorists they’re approaching a moving caravan, which can certainly create congestion - especially on a busy corridor like US-23 with high volumes of traffic during peak hours. She says they want motorists to be extra aware of the caravans and safely move over to give workers space – not immediately swerve over into the other lane. The larger overhead truss signs will be replaced during nighttime hours between roughly 11pm and 6am and will require full lane closures.

The project is expected to be completed in October. More information about the work and federal safety guidelines can be found through the provided link.