Revisions to Federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Compliance Dates (5/14/12)
FHWA has eliminated 46 of the 58 items that had compliance dates as found in Table I-2 of the MUTCD. There will NOT be any changes to the compliance dates of the remaining 8 items.
Impacts to traffic sign retroreflectivity:
Compliance dates for regulatory, warning and ground-mounted and overhead-mounted guide and street name sign has been removed, but because there is no compliance date by which signs not meeting the minimum retroreflectivity levels must be replaced, replacement of these devices must be prioritized based on your agencies plan and/or policy. It is important to note that signs with retroreflectivity values below the minimum levels (MN MUTCD: Table 2A-3) are considered to have exceeded its service life, as it no longer serves the needs of the nighttime driver.
Road authorities have been granted additional time (until June 13th, 2014) to develop a plan and/or policy to manage their system of warning and regulatory signs.
Guide sign are required to meet the minimum values provided in Table 2A-3, but there is not a specific compliance date (including street name signs). Guide signs should be added to an agency’s plan and/or policy as resources allow.
The minimum levels of traffic sign retroreflectivity as stated in Table 2A-3 – Minimum Maintained Retroreflectivity Levels (PDF) of the MUTCD remain unchanged with this final rule.