Signs and Pavement Markings

To report traffic signs down, damaged or other traffic related issues, contact Traffic Operations Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, at 221-6630. After hours and weekends hours, contact the City of Fort Collins Police Department at the non-emergency number, 221-6540.

Sign fabrication, installation and maintenance for all of the signs in Fort Collins is done in-house at Traffic Operations. Throughout the year, the sign crews are responsible for maintaining 30,000 signs - everything from speed limit and street name signs to providing signs for all city departments.

The department is in the process of upgrading street name signs from a six inch sign blank with four inch letters to a nine inch sign blank and six inch letters. The new signs have better daytime visibility and higher retro reflectivity at night.

Crews are also in the process of upgrading the large overhead street name signs on the signal mast arms with higher reflective sheeting to improve visibility for motorists day and night. We are proactive in replacing signs to meet the proposed Federal Highway Administrations night time visibility standards.

The Signs and Pavement Markings department paints approximately 850 lane miles of roads per year using 25,000 gallons of paint. We annually maintain 1,479 crosswalks, all lane use stencils, red curbs, rail road crossing stencils and long line striping.

In 2006 we started using latex paint. Using a water-based (latex) paint decreases hazardous waste generation requiring only soap and water for machinery cleanup. Latex paints contain less solvent than oil-based paints. Reductions in VOC (Volatile Organic Content) emissions and worker exposure can be expected as a result of the change to environmentaly friendly based paints. The cost of Latex paint is also lower than Low VOC solvent based paints.

In 2006 Traffic Operations started a Methyl- Methacrylate (epoxy paint) program and will be installing Methyl- Methacrylate crosswalks, lane use stencils and on new projects in high maintenance areas to increase the longevity and decrease the frequency for repainting. Epoxy based paints have been proven to last up to three times longer than traditional traffic paints.