R17-1-709. Acknowledgment Signs and Plaques; Design and Placement

A. The Department may acknowledge sponsors with acknowl- edgment signs or plaques. Acknowledgment signs and plaques shall meet all of the general principles and specific design and placement criteria prescribed in the MUTCD, Part 2, Signs, as supplemented by the most recent edition of the FHWA Stan- dard Highway Signs and Markings Book: 1. An acknowledgment sign is installed only as an indepen- dent sign assembly unless the acknowledgment sign is part of the Department’s Adopt-a-Highway Volunteer Program; and 2. An acknowledgment plaque is installed only in the same sign assembly below a primary sign that provides the road user specific information on accessing the service being sponsored. A plaque legend is displayed on a sepa- rate substrate from that of the sign below which it is mounted. B. Acknowledgment signs and plaques shall: 1. Be appropriately sized for the legibility needs of a bike- way or path user when located on a bikeway or shared- use path; 2. Be placed near the site being sponsored, consistent with the purpose and principles of traffic control devices in the MUTCD, Part 1, General and Part 2, Signs; 3. Be placed approximately one mile away from other acknowledgment signs or plaques associated with the same element of the Department’s highway operation, such as Adopt-a-Highway, when facing the same direc- tion, as consistent with the purpose and principles of traf- fic control devices in the MUTCD, Part 1, General and Part 2, Signs; 4. Display no directional information or indicators; 5. Display no telephone numbers, internet addresses, or other legends prohibited by the MUTCD for the purpose of contacting the sponsor or to obtain information on the sponsorship program, such as how to become a sponsor at an available site, unless such information is part of the sponsor’s official name; and 6. Remain in place only for the duration of the sponsorship agreement. C. The Department or its contractor shall not place acknowledg- ment signs or plaques at key decision points where a driver’s attention is more appropriately focused on traffic control devices, roadway geometry, or traffic conditions.