Subpart F--Traffic Control Devices on Federal-Aid and Other Streets and
Highways
Source: 48 FR 46776, Oct. 14, 1983, unless otherwise noted.
Sec. 655.601 Purpose.
To prescribe the policies and procedures of the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) to obtain basic uniformity of traffic control
devices on all streets and highways in accordance with the following
references that are approved by the FHWA for application on Federal-aid
projects:
(a) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and
Highways (MUTCD), FHWA, 1988, including Revision No. 1 dated January 17,
1990, Revision No. 2 dated March 17, 1992, Revision No. 3 dated
September 3, 1993, Errata No. 1 to the 1988 MUTCD Revision 3, dated
November 1, 1994, Revision No. 4 dated November 1, 1994, Revision No. 4a
(modified) dated February 19, 1998, Revision No. 5 dated December 24,
1996, Revision No. 6 dated June 19, 1998, and Revision No. 7 dated
January 3, 2000. This publication is incorporated by reference in
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51 and is on file at the
Office of the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., Suite
700, Washington, DC. The 1988 MUTCD, including Revision No. 3 dated
September 3, 1993, may be purchased from the Superintendent of
Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), P.O. Box 371954,
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954, Stock No. 650-001-00001-0. The amendments to
the MUTCD titled, ``1988 MUTCD Revision No. 1,'' dated January 17, 1990,
``1988 MUTCD Revision No. 2,'' dated March 17, 1992, ``1988 MUTCD
Revision No. 3,'' dated September 3, 1993, ``1988 MUTCD Errata No. 1 to
Revision No. 3,'' dated November 1, 1994, ``1988 MUTCD Revision No. 4,''
dated November 1, 1994, ``1998 MUTCD Revision No. 5,'' dated December
24, 1996, ``Revision No. 6,'' dated June 19, 1998, and ``Revision No.
7'' dated January 3, 2000 are available
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from the Federal Highway Administration, Office of Transportation
Operations, HOTO, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. These
documents are available for inspection and copying as prescribed in 49
CFR part 7.
(b) Standard Alphabets for Highway Signs, FHWA, 1966 Edition,
Reprinted May 1972. (This publication is incorporated by reference and
is on file at the Office of the Federal Register in Washington, DC. This
document is available for inspection and copying as provided in 49 CFR
part 7, appendix D).
(c) Guide to Metric Conversion, AASHTO, 1993. This publication is
incorporated by reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR
part 51 and is on file at the Office of the Federal Register, 800 North
Capitol Street, NW., Suite 700, Washington, DC. This document is
available for inspection as provided in 49 CFR part 7. It may be
purchased from the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials, Suite 249, 444 North Capitol Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20001.
(d) Traffic Engineering Metric Conversion Factors, 1993--Addendum to
the Guide to Metric Conversion, AASHTO, October 1993. This publication
is incorporated by reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1
CFR part 51 and is on file at the Office of the Federal Register, 800
North Capitol Street, NW., Suite 700, Washington, DC. This document is
available for inspection as provided in 49 CFR part 7. It may be
purchased from the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials, Suite 249, 444 North Capitol Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20001.
[51 FR 16834, May 7, 1986, as amended at 60 FR 18521, Apr. 11, 1995; 61
FR 29626, June 11, 1996; 62 FR 1373, Jan. 9, 1997; 63 FR 8351, Feb. 19,
1998; 63 FR 33549, June 19, 1998; 64 FR 33753, June 24, 1999; 65 FR 13,
Jan. 3, 2000]
Sec. 655.602 Definitions.
The terms used herein are defined in accordance with definitions and
usages contained in the MUTCD and 23 U.S.C. 101(a).
Sec. 655.603 Standards.
(a) National MUTCD. The MUTCD approved by the Federal Highway
Administrator is the national standard for all traffic control devices
installed on any street, highway, or bicycle trail open to public travel
in accordance with 23 U.S.C 109(d) and 402(a). The national MUTCD is
specifically approved by the FHWA for application on any highway project
in which Federal highway funds participate and on projects in federally
administered areas where a Federal department or agency controls the
highway or supervises the traffic operations.
(b) State or other Federal MUTCD. (1) Where State or other Federal
agency MUTCDs or supplements are required, they shall be in substantial
conformance with the national MUTCD. Changes to the national MUTCD
issued by the FHWA shall be adopted by the States or other Federal
agencies within 2 years of issuance. The FHWA Regional Administrator has
been delegated the authority to approve State MUTCDs and supplements.
(2) The Direct Federal Program Administrator has been delegated the
authority to approve other Federal agency MUTCDs with the concurrence of
the Office of Traffic Operations. States and other Federal agencies are
encouraged to adopt the national MUTCD as their official Manual on
Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
(c) Color specifications. Color determinations and specifications of
sign and pavement marking materials shall conform to requirements of the
FHWA Color Tolerance Charts. \2\ An alternate method of determining the
color of retroreflective sign material is provided in the appendix.
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\2\ Available for inspection from the Office of Traffic Operations,
Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC
20590.
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(d) Compliance--(1) Existing highways. Each State, in cooperation
with its political subdivisions, and Federal agencies shall have a
program as required by Highway Safety Program Standard Number 13,
Traffic Engineering Services (23 CFR 1204.4) which shall include
provisions for the systematic upgrading of substandard traffic control
devices and for the installation of needed devices to achieve conformity
with the MUTCD.
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(2) New or reconstructed highways. Federal-aid projects for the
construction, reconstruction, resurfacing, restoration, or
rehabilitation of streets and highways shall not be opened to the public
for unrestricted use until all appropriate traffic control devices,
either temporary or permanent, are installed and functioning properly.
Both temporary and permanent devices shall conform to the MUTCD.
(3) Construction area activities. All traffic control devices
installed in construction areas using Federal-aid funds shall conform to
the MUTCD. Traffic control plans for handling traffic and pedestrians in
construction zones and for protection of workers shall conform to the
requirements of 23 CFR part 630, subpart J, Traffic Safety in Highway
and Street Work Zones.
(4) MUTCD changes. The FHWA may establish target dates for achieving
compliance with changes to specific devices in the MUTCD.
(e) Specific information signs. Standards for specific information
signs are contained in the MUTCD.
[48 FR 46776, Oct. 14, 1983, as amended at 51 FR 16834, May 7, 1986]
Sec. 655.604 Achieving basic uniformity.
(a) Programs. Programs for the orderly and systematic upgrading of
existing traffic control devices or the installation of needed traffic
control devices on or off the Federal-aid system should be based on
inventories made in accordance with 23 CFR 1204.4, Highway Safety
Program Standards. These inventories provide the information necessary
for programming traffic control device upgrading projects.
(b) Inventory. An inventory of all traffic control devices is
required by Highway Safety Program Standard Number 13, Traffic
Engineering Services (23 CFR 1204.4). Highway planning and research
funds and highway related safety grant program funds may be used in
statewide or systemwide studies or inventories. Also, metropolitan
planning (PL) funds may be used in urbanized areas provided the activity
is included in an approved unified work program.
Sec. 655.605 Project procedures.
(a) Federal-aid highways. Federal-aid projects involving the
installation of traffic control devices shall follow procedures as
established in 23 CFR part 630, subpart A, Federal-Aid Programs Approval
and Project Authorization. Simplified and timesaving procedures are to
be used to the extent permitted by existing policy.
(b) Off-system highways. Certain federally funded programs are
available for installation of traffic control devices on streets and
highways that are not on the Federal-aid system. The procedures used in
these programs may vary from project to project but, essentially, the
guidelines set forth herein should be used.
Sec. 655.606 Higher cost materials.
The use of signing, pavement marking, and signal materials (or
equipment) having distinctive performance characteristics, but costing
more than other materials (or equipment) commonly used may be approved
by the FHWA Division Administrator when the specific use proposed is
considered to be in the public interest.
Sec. 655.607 Funding.
(a) Federal-aid highways. (1) Funds apportioned or allocated under
23 U.S.C. 104(b) are eligible to participate in projects to install
traffic control devices in accordance with the MUTCD on newly
constructed, reconstructed, resurfaced, restored, or rehabilitated
highways, or on existing highways when this work is classified as
construction in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 101(a). Federal-aid highway
funds for eligible pavement markings and traffic control signalization
may amount to 100 percent of the construction cost. Federal-aid highway
funds apportioned or allocated under other sections of 23 U.S.C. are
eligible for participation in improvements conforming to the MUTCD in
accordance with the provisions of applicable program regulations and
directives.
(2) Traffic control devices are eligible, in keeping with paragraph
(a)(1) of this section, provided that the work is classified as
construction in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 101(a) and the State or local
agency has a policy acceptable
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to the FHWA Division Administrator for selecting traffic control devices
material or equipment based on items such as cost, traffic volumes,
safety, and expected service life. The State's policy should provide for
cost-effective selection of materials which will provide for substantial
service life taking into account expected and necessary routine
maintenance. For these purposes, effectiveness would normally be
measured in terms of durability, service life and/or performance of the
material. Specific projects including material or equipment selection
shall be developed in accordance with this policy. Proposed work may be
approved on a project-by-project basis when the work is (i) clearly
warranted, (ii) on a Federal-aid system, (iii) clearly identified by
site, (iv) substantial in nature, and (v) of sufficient magnitude at any
given location to warrant Federal-aid participation as a construction
item.
(3) The method of accomplishing the work will be in accordance with
23 CFR part 635, subpart A, Contract Procedures.
(b) Off-system highways. Certain Federal-aid highway funds are
eligible to participate in traffic control device improvement projects
on off-system highways. In addition, Federal-aid highway funds
apportioned or allocated in 23 U.S.C. are eligible for the installation
of traffic control devices on any public road not on the Federal-aid
system when the installation is directly related to a traffic
improvement project on a Federal-aid system route.
Appendix to Subpart F of Part 655--Alternate Method of Determining the
Color of Retroreflective Sign Materials
1. The FHWA Color Tolerance Charts provide that conventional color
measuring instruments such as spectrophotometers and tristimulus
photoelectric colorimeters should not be used for measurement of
retroreflective material colors and that such materials should be
evaluated visually using the Color Tolerance Charts and paying strict
attention to prescribed illumination and viewing conditions.
2. As an alternate to visual testing, the diffuse day color of
retroreflective sign material may be determined in accordance with ASTM
E 97, ``Standard Method of Test for 45-Degree, 0-Degree Directional
Reflectance of Opaque Specimens by Filter Photometry.'' Geometric
characteristics must be confined to illumination incident within 10
degrees of, and centered about, a direction of 45 degrees from the
perpendicular to the test surface; viewing is within 15 degrees of, and
centered about, the perpendicular to the test surface. Conditions of
illumination and observation must not be interchanged.
3. Standards to be used for reference are the Munsell Papers
designated in Table 1 or Table II, attached. The papers must be recently
calibrated on a spectrophotometer. Acceptable test instruments are:
a. Gardner Multipurpose Reflectometer or Model XL 20 Color
Difference Meter,
b. Gardner Model Ac-2a or XL 30 Color Difference Meter,
c. Meeco Model V Colormaster,
d. Hunter lab D25 Color Difference Meter, or
e. Approved equal.
4. Average performance sheeting is identified as Types I and II
sheeting and high performance sheeting is identified as Types III and IV
sheeting in Standard Specifications for Construction of Roads and
Bridges on Federal Highway Projects \3\ (FP-79, Section 633).
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\3\ This document is available for inspection and copying as
prescribed in 49 CFR part 7, appendix D.
Table I--Color Specification Limits and Reference Standards, Types I and II Sheeting
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Chromaticity coordinates \1\ (corner points) Reflectance
---------------------------------------------------------------- limits (percent
Color 1 2 3 4 Y) Y Reference \3\ standard
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (munsell papers)
x y x y x y x y Minium Maximum
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White \2\................................ .305 .290 .350 .342 .321 .361 .276 .308 35 -- 6.3Gy 6.77/0.8.
Red...................................... .602 .317 .664 .336 .644 .356 .575 .356 8 12 8.2R 3.78/14.0.
Orange................................... .535 .375 .607 .393 .582 .417 .535 .399 18 30 2.5YR 5.5/14.0
Brown.................................... .445 .353 .604 .396 .556 .443 .445 .386 4 9 5.OYR 3/6.
Yellow................................... .482 .450 .532 .465 .505 .494 .475 .485 29 45 1.25Y 6/12.
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Green.................................... .130 .369 .180 .391 .155 .460 .107 .439 3.5 9 0.65BG 2.84/8.45.
Blue..................................... .147 .075 .176 .091 .176 .151 .106 .113 1.0 4 5 8PB 1.32/6.8.
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\1\ The four pairs of chromaticity coordinates determine the acceptable color in terms of the CIE 1931 standard colorimetric system measured with
standard illumination source C.
\2\ Silver white is an acceptable color designation.
\3\ Available from Munsell Color Company. 2441 Calvert Street, Baltimore. Maryland 21218.
Table II--Color Specification Limits and Reference Standards, Types III and IV Sheeting
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Chromaticity Coordinates \1\ (corner points) Reflectance
---------------------------------------------------------------- limits
Color 1 2 3 4 (percent Y) Y Reference \3\ standard
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (munsell papers)
x y x y x y x y Min. Max.
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White \2\................................. .303 287 .368 .353 .340 .380 .274 .316 27 ...... 5.0PB 7/1.
Red....................................... .613 .297 .708 .292 .636 .364 .558 .352 2.5 11 7.5R 3/12.
Orange.................................... .550 .360 .630 .370 .581 .418 .516 .394 14 30 2.5YR 5.5/14.
Yellow.................................... .498 .412 .557 .442 .479 .520 .438 .472 15 40 1.25Y 6/12.
Green..................................... .030 .380 .166 .346 .286 .428 .201 .776 3 8 10G 3/8
Blue...................................... .144 .030 .244 .202 .190 .247 .066 .208 1 10 5.8PB 1.32/6.8.
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\1\ The four pairs of chromaticity coordinates determine the acceptable color in terms of the CIE 1931 standard colorimetric system measured with
standard illumination source C.
\2\ Silver white is an acceptable color designation.
\3\ Available from Munsell Color Company, 2441 Calvert Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.