Q. I’ve traveled on Route 136 in Bristol, but have not seen a Metacom Avenue sign. There are only two somewhat hidden or obscurde ones in Warren. Also, street signs in Bristol are smal,l unlike in Warren. Isn’t there a law that signs should be a certain size so passing motorists have a chance to see them? A further inconvenience about street signs in most communities is that the name of the street is only mentioned once, usually at a busy intersection where the driver is concentrating on the traffic. For main or secondary arteries and roads, street names should be repeated two or three times and use large signs.

A. Although there is no written policy regarding the replacement of street signs, RIDOT typically relies on the towns to replace them because of the enormous number of side streets in the state, and the many other priorities the department has with respect to safety. Most cities and towns also have their own standard for street signs with respect to color and size. Some cities and towns even use their own seal on the street signs.

This is not to say, however, that RIDOT never replaces street signs. When RIDOT has a project along a roadway, we typically replace the street signs as part of that project. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) dictates a minimum size of lettering for signage. According to the MUTCD, “There is no standard size for the street sign plaque because the legends on the signs are so variable that a standardized size is not appropriate. The actual size of the sign is determined primarily by the length of the message, and the size of lettering and spacing necessary for proper legibility.”

The minimum size of lettering mandated by the MUTCD varies according to the type of road. For example, the lettering on ground-mounted street name signs should be at least 6 inches high in capital letters, or 6 inches upper-case letters with 4.5 inch lower-case letters. On multilane streets with speed limits higher than 40 mph, the lettering on ground-mounted street name signs must be at least 8 inches in capital letters, with 6-inch lower-case letters. On local roads with speed limits of 25 mph or less, the lettering may be a minimum of 4 inches.

Replacing highway lights

Q. Who is responsible for checking that the highway lights are working? On a recent nighttime drive from Providence to Newport, there were many unlit lights on I -95 between the Thurbers Avenue curve and the exit to the Malls. On Route 138 from Route 1 to the Jamestown Bridge there was another series of unlit units. Whilst I am all in favor of saving electricity, I assume that the lights are there for safety purposes and should be working.

A. RIDOT’s Maintenance Division is responsible for maintaining most of the State highway lighting system. Some areas are maintained by National Grid. The department is aware there are many sections of highway lighting that are currently not operational. Many of these highway lighting systems are over 25 years old.

Maintenance is currently repairing several highway lighting systems. The high traffic volumes on the state highways limit the department’s activity during normal daytime working hours. To limit the impact to highway traffic, as well as to ensure a safer work environment, the repairs are mainly done at night.

The section of Interstate 95 (both North and South) between Exit 9 and Exit 28, as well as Route 138 between Route 1 and the Jamestown Bridge are both on our list for repair. This work is anticipated to be completed over the next year.

Dana Alexander Nolfe, chief public affairs officer for the state Department of Transportation, has agreed to answer questions of general interest posed by Journal readers about state roads and other state transportation matters.

The DOT is responsible for the state’s transportation infrastructure, which includes highways, bridges, traffic signals and bikeways.

To ask a question that would also be of interest to other readers, send a letter to Ask RIDOT, Features Department, The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902. You can also e-mail your question to projocars@projo.com. Please put “Question for the DOT” in the subject field.

Questions or complaints of a specific nature should be posed to the DOT directly and will not be answered in this column.

Still lost? Find archived answers to past transportation questions at projocars.com.