Working under a contract with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), Thrive is working to collect an inventory of street signs in our region. Street signs are an essential aspect of public and street safety, helping drivers follow traffic laws and drive safely.
However, exposure to bright sunlight, rain, and wind wears down street signs over time, making them difficult to see. For this reason, INDOT requires signs to be inventoried and reevaluated every 3 years. That’s where Thrive comes in! Our community development team, led by Director Karen Schneider, will soon begin the process of inventorying our region’s street signs.
To do this, the Thrive team uses what, according to Schneider, “looks like a radar gun.” This machine flashes light against the surface of each street sign to test the sign’s reflectivity, or how much light the sign reflects. Reflectivity is essential to driver safety, as it allows drivers to always see road signs, even at night.
This tool also records the GPS location of each sign, along with other key details, to provide an accurate and detailed description of each sign’s durability.
This information, once collected, will offer our region a better picture of the condition of its street signs, allowing city officials to choose what signs may need fixed or replaced.
“It’s going to be up to that sign’s owner to say ‘yes or no, we need to replace it,’” Schneider explained.
“We give them the information to make that decision.”
Thrive’s inventory of our area’s street signs will contribute to creating a safer and happier community. Our goal is to make it easier for our local cities to prioritize what signs to replace, while also revealing what streets and areas may need additional work and renovation. We are so excited to work alongside INDOT and our local governments to make West Central Indiana a safer place!
