All Signs Point to Yes: New Street Name Signs for Lafayette

Do you ever find yourself squinting to read street signs with small font? Have trouble reading street name signs when it’s dark? Good news: the street signs of Lafayette are getting a makeover.

In the next five years, all of Lafayette’s street signs will be replaced with a uniform sign design. The new design uses Rawlinson Roadway font and meets the reflective requirements required by the new law. The background of the signs will be brown, and the lettering will be in mixed-case lettering.

With a recent approval from the city council, the project is moving ahead. According to Lafayette Engineering Technician David Terhune, the contract for the project is almost finalized, and they will be putting the project out to bid soon. Installation is set to begin this fall.

The new design comes after a Federal law passed in 2007 that requires all cities to replace their street signs by 2018, due to new street sign regulations.

A committee of representatives from the city council, Chamber of Commerce, Planning Commission, Homeowners Council, Design Review Commission and the Downtown Street Improvement Master Plan Implementation Committee decided on the design of the street sign, said City Manager Steve Falk. 

The project is scheduled to take five years in five different phases, with the city split into five different regions. The city will replace the signs in one region each year, beginning with downtown Lafayette.

According to Terhune, the project is budgeted at $180,000 and the funding will be allocated from the City of Lafayette’s General Funds to Public Works on a yearly basis.

The old street signs will be recycled as scrap aluminum. 

What do you think of the new street sign designs? Let us know in the comments below.