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Helping Signs Stand Up To Hurricanes

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 29, 2007

The dangers from tropical storms continue long after clouds blow away. Engineers at USF's Center for Urban Transportation Research looked into a threat most of us wouldn't think about: missing stop signs.

In Miami-Dade in 2005, storms blew down 56,000 signs. Replacing them was a time-consuming and expensive chore, but worse, until the signs were fixed, intersections were unsafe.

Researchers realized that of all the signs that may be lost, none is more critical than the stop sign, so they looked into how to harden them.

They found that almost all the Miami signs failed because of weak foundations. In high winds, the soil was too soft to hold signs upright.

In sand, a sign normally installed could blow down in 50 mph gusts. Researchers found that it can withstand more than 150 mph if its post is anchored.

Various inexpensive strengthening systems can be used, including driving the pole deeper into the earth, but deeper posts require coordination with utility companies to make sure buried cables and pipes aren't damaged.
Anchors are available that don't add to the depth and can be installed in about 25 minutes, about the same time it takes to repair a downed sign.

In the chaotic aftermath of a major storm, road crews will be overwhelmed. Coastal cities and counties would be wise to begin reinforcing signs now, especially the ones that order us to stop.

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