Minimum Retroreflectivity for Signs and Markings

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will likely set guidelines for retroreflectivity of in-service signs and pavement markings in the next two years. (Retroreflectivity is the kind of reflectivity built into traffic signs and markings that sends light from headlights directly back to the vehicle’s driver.) Whether states in turn will ask municipalities to apply the guidelines to signs and markings on local roads may be moot. Other factors, such as liability concerns, could compel municipalities to replace their deteriorated signs and markings that measure below the minimum levels established in the guidelines.