ADOT adopts national road signage standards

Bigger, easier-to-read signs are coming to a freeway near you!

That’s because at the beginning of the year, ADOT adopted the latest edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), along with the Arizona supplemental modifications, as a standard for traffic control devices for use on the streets and highways of the state of Arizona.

The MUTCD is the national standard for all traffic control measures, including traffic signs, pavement markings, signals and any other devices used to regulate, warn or guide traffic. Ensuring uniformity of traffic control devices across the nation – from their messages and placement to their sizes, shapes and colors – helps to reduce traffic congestion and crashes.

What you can expect to see on the road

• Bigger, easier to read signs: replacing highway signs with brighter, larger and more legible ones that are easier to understand at freeway speeds.
• Enhanced crosswalk safety: changing the formula used to calculate crosswalk times to give walkers more time and implementing pedestrian countdown signals that alert pedestrians how much time they have to cross the street safely.
• New logos: new symbol signs alerting drivers about recreational and cultural interest area destinations will be added.

You won’t see the new signs overnight. ADOT intends to phase in the new signs as new roadways are constructed, when highways undergo major reconstruction or as existing signs wear out. This way no additional costs are incurred.

You can learn more about the new signs and safety standards– both the MUTCD and the Arizona supplemental modifications are online.