Q. There are some sign on Route 44 at the I-295 on-ramp in Smithfield that need to be replaced. The sign for I-295 is faded. Is the state responsible for these signs or is the Town of Smithfield? I did see that a lot of new signs were being replaced on I-295 and on Route 4.

A. To answer your question, RIDOT is responsible for the signing and not the Town of Smithfield. The signs that you are referring to are located on Putnam Pike in both directions at the on-ramps for I-295 North and South.

These signs are called Entrance Direction signs, and according to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), the guide that sets the national standard for traffic, they are used to alert the driver as to whether or not they will be required to make a left or right to correctly access the freeway in their desired direction of travel. Entrance Direction signs are green with a white border, and contain the freeway route shield, direction, directional arrow, and sometimes a destination.

The Entrance Direction signs for I-295 on Putnam Pike eastbound and westbound are faded, and are in need of replacement. As discussed in previous columns, RIDOT uses reflective sheeting on these signs to make them more visible at night, and the life expectancy of this sheeting is approximately 7 to 10 years. We agree that the signs on Putnam Pike for I-295 are in need of replacement, and we will work to replace these signs in the near future.

Direction correction

Q. There’s a misleading arrow pointing from Taunton Avenue to the on-ramp to I-195 West in East Providence. The arrow points 90 degrees left, but it should point very slightly left — about 30 degrees instead of 90.

A. The sign you are referring to is on Taunton Avenue westbound at the intersection with Potter Street. The purpose of this sign is to direct motorists to the I-195 West on-ramp located on Taunton Avenue shortly after the intersection with Potter Street.

Since there is a slight curve in the roadway prior to the intersection with Potter Street, this sign has an arrow pointing to the left to alert motorists to stay on Taunton Avenue. You are correct in saying that this sign could be misleading, since Taunton Avenue has a slight left turn, rather than a 90-degree turn. The sign could misdirect motorists and lead them to think that they should turn left onto Potter Street to access I-195 West, rather than continuing on Taunton Avenue where the on-ramp is located. We will notify our Maintenance Division to make this sign more accurate.

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.