Inexpensive Retroreflectivity Field Inspection Kit

The Cornell Local Roads Program worked with three counties and several municipalities within those counties to study how a retroreflectometer might be shared by the 74 local jurisdictions to help them meet the new standards for sign retroreflectivity in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The new standards for retroreflectivity include eight techniques, most of which require at least access to a retroreflectometer on a regular basis. Cornell worked with the three counties to review their sign inventory, inspection, and management programs. Through a strong collaboration between the municipalities, Cornell engineers, and a student intern hired as part of the study, an inexpensive retroreflectivity field inspection kit was developed. Agencies using the kit were able to reduce the time of inspection and the number of signs that needed to be removed from service.