Criteria For Sign Location And Placement

(1) Location of TODS Signs. The location criteria for erecting TODS signs are as follows: (a) The Department will erect TODS signs along state highways, including conventional highways and expressways, at intersections with local roads where highway users will turn to reach eligible tourist-oriented businesses that have qualified to participate in the TODS program in accordance with Rule 1680-3-4-.07 below. (b) The Department will not erect TODS signs on freeways (including ramps) or at interchanges on expressways (including ramps), or on any scenic highway or parkway that is not eligible for TODS program signing under the provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 54, Chapter 17, Parts 1 and 2. (c) The Department will not erect a new TODS sign on any state highway within the limits of an incorporated municipality having a population of 5,000 or more according to the most recent decennial census of the United States Bureau of Census. TODS signs shall not be erected outside of such a municipality for a tourist-oriented business within the limits of such a municipality. TOURIST-ORIENTED DIRECTIONAL SIGNS CHAPTER 1680-3-4 (d) In addition, the Department will not erect a new TODS sign, or renew an existing TODS sign, on any state highway within any incorporated municipality without the prior written consent of the municipal government. This written consent must be obtained by the tourist-oriented business seeking to qualify for participation in the TODS program, as provided in Rule 1680-3- 4-.07 below, or by a tourist-oriented business seeking to renew participation in the TODS program, as provided in Rule 1680-3-4-.08(3) below. (e) At intersections where TODS signs may be erected, the Department will erect TODS signs for each direction of travel along the state highway. Generally, the Department will erect a separate TODS sign for each direction of turn in each direction of travel, unless the Department decides to erect only one TODS sign in each direction of travel as provided in subparagraph (2)(e) of this rule. (f) TODS signs should be located at least two hundred feet (200’) in advance of the intersection, and they should be spaced at least two hundred feet (200’) from another TODS sign or any other traffic control sign. (g) The location of other traffic control devices, including regulatory, warning and guide signs, shall take precedence over the location of TODS signs. (2) Installation and Placement of TODS Sign Panels. The criteria for installing and placing TODS sign panels are as follows: (a) No more than four (4) TODS sign panels shall be installed on any one TODS sign. (b) Subject to space limitations, the Department will install one TODS sign panel for a qualified tourist-oriented business on a TODS sign in each direction of travel at the intersection that provides the shortest eligibility distance to that business. (c) In the Department’s discretion, a second set of TODS sign panels may be installed for a qualified tourist-oriented business at an additional intersection on a second state highway, but only if the second set of TODS sign panels does not prevent another qualified tourist-oriented business from obtaining a first set of TODS sign panels at that intersection. (d) TODS sign panels for qualified tourist-oriented businesses shall be grouped by direction of turn. The placement of TODS sign panels on TODS signs will be as follows, except as provided in subparagraph (2)(e) of this rule: 1. All qualified tourist-oriented businesses that can be reached by turning left will be placed on the TODS sign farthest from the intersection in each direction of travel. 2. All qualified tourist-oriented businesses that can be reached by turning right will be placed on the TODS sign nearest to the intersection in each direction of travel. 3. On each TODS sign, the TODS sign panels for each qualified tourist-oriented business will be placed in order of eligibility distance, with the business having the shortest eligibility distance at the top and the business with the greatest eligibility distance at the bottom. (e) If there are not more than four (4) TODS sign panels to be installed for each direction of travel at an intersection, the Department may choose to erect only one TODS sign for each direction of travel. In such case, the TODS sign panels for qualified tourist-oriented businesses that can be reached by turning left will be installed at the top of the TODS sign, in order of eligibility TOURIST-ORIENTED DIRECTIONAL SIGNS CHAPTER 1680-3-4 distance from shortest to greatest, and the TODS sign panels for businesses that can be reached by turning right will be installed below, in order of eligibility distance from shortest to greatest. (f) Where a trailblazer sign is required to reach a tourist-oriented business, the Department will not install a TODS sign panel for that business until the business has erected the trailblazer sign in accordance with paragraph (3) of this rule. (3) Trailblazer Signs. The criteria for erecting trailblazer signs on local roads are as follows: (a) If it is necessary to erect a trailblazer sign on a local road to indicate the need for an additional turn to reach a tourist-oriented business, it shall be the responsibility of the business to erect the trailblazer sign. (b) No trailblazer sign may be erected on any local road within the limits of an incorporated municipality having a population of 5,000 or more according to the most recent decennial census of the United States Bureau of Census. (c) The erection of a trailblazer sign on any local road shall be subject to the approval of the local government having jurisdiction over the road. It shall be the responsibility of the tourist- oriented business to obtain the written approval of the local government for the trailblazer sign and to provide a copy of this approval to the Department before the Department will install a TODS sign panel for the business on a state highway.