KDOT Replacing Thousands of Highway Signs

April 20, 2010

By Cliff Judy (BUTLER COUNTY, Kan.)

You may have recently noticed Kansas Department of Transportation crews replacing hundreds of what look like perfectly good signs along Highway 254. KDOT tells us they were perfectly good 10 years ago and need to be replaced for safety.

The thousands of highway signs replaced each year in Kansas cost of hundreds of dollars each. Eyewitness News continues to look into projects around the state, how much they cost, and how they affect you.

Right now, Kansas Department of Transportation crews are replacing more than 1,000 highway signs in Sedgwick, Butler, and Harvey Counties.

The state has nearly $1.4 million a year to spend on sign replacement, but all of that money is from federal safety funds.

The reflective sheen on the signs wear off after about 10 years, making them hard to see at night. Workers at the KDOT office in El Dorado say they've received complaints about the old signs in the past.

"When (Highway) 254 was built, the signs were placed and they've essentially lived their life and they're about ready to give out," says Mike Longshaw with KDOT. "It's time to replace the signs."

Kansas highways are divided into six districts, and each district is awarded one sign replacement project a year. The signs currently being replaced in south central Kansas are along Highway 254 between El Dorado and Wichita.

The signs along Highway 196 between El Dorado and Newton are also being switched out.

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SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS SIGN REPLACEMENT PROJECT:

Cost: $397,850.40
Highway Mileage: 90
Number of Signs: 1,082
- includes 973 smaller, flat sheet signs (stop signs, mile markers, etc.) and 109 larger, structural panel signs.

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REPORTER TWEETS: Read below to see the updates Eyewitness News Reporter Cliff Judy was sending out over Twitter throughout the day. You can follow him at www.twitter.com/12judy.

2:15 p.m.: In a time of cuts, why is KDOT spending $400K to replace what look like perfectly good road signs? Story at 5. http://yfrog.com/0bw8ycj

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