012 . .... .~\)~ PAGGI, MARTIN & DEL BENE LLP Consulting Engineers & Land Surveyors 0/2 54-56 Main Street Poughkeepsie, New York 12601 914-471-7898 914-471-0905 (FAX) March 19, 1999 Town Board Town of Wappinger P.O. Box 324 Wappingers Falls. New York 12590 Attention: Constance Q. Smith, Supervisor Reference: Kent Road Dear Supervisor Smith & Board Members: RECEIVED NAR 2 3 1999 E:LAINE: s IOWN NOWDEN CLE'RK As a follow up to our March 17th. 1999 letter to the Town Board regarding the above referenced item in which we indicated the stopping sight distances at two intersections along Kent Road. please be advised that it is our general opinion that "Stop" signs should not be installed for the sole purposes of controlling the speed of the motorists. I have included a copy of a "Sign Warrants and Requisite Studies" taken from the "Institute of Transportation and Traffic Engineering Handbook", Second Edition. It is noted that the Uniform Manual also refers to this recommendation. If there is any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact this office. 2:~ JEP:law Enclosure cc: Hon. Vincent Bettina, Councilman w/enclosure Hon. Joseph Paoloni, Councilman w/enclosure Hon. Joseph Ruggiero. Councilman w/enclosure Hon. Robert Valdati, Councilman w/enclosure Hon. Elaine Snowden w/enclosure Albert P. Roberts, Esq. w/enclosure Graham Foster w/enclosure Joseph E. Paggi, Jr., P.E. Ernst Martin, Jr., P.E., L.S. Charles R. Dcl Bene, Jr., P.E. \ other signs that are protected by curb in urban areas or guard rail in rural areas, and (3) sign installations that are a suf- ficient distance from the pavement edge to allow an errant driver a clear area to recover. In noncurbed or other unprotected areas, regulatory and warning signs can normally be mounted on the driver's side of the road on square or U-shaped posts that break away at pivot points or yield to any vehicle upon impact. 9 A one-post installation of the lighter (approximately 2.25 Ib/ft or 3.3 kglm) steel breakaway or yielding type post will support signs that do not exceed 36 in. (91 cm) in width or 10 ftz (0.93 mZ) in area at standard mounting heights. The heavier steel (approximately 4 Ib/ft or 6 kglm) posts will support signs generally not exceeding 48 in. (1.2 m) in width or 16 ftz (1.5 m2) in area at standard mounting heights. Slightly greater sign widths and total areas may be in- stalled on single wooden sign posts. A 4 x 4 in. (10 x 10 cm) w()Odt::l post \vill hold 15 ft2 (1.4 m:!) of sign and a 6 x 6 in. (15 x 15 cm) post that has been predrilled for proper breakaway features will hold 50 ftz (4.65 m2) of sign. Intermediate-size signs with areas between 20 and 90 ft2 (1.9 and 8.4 m2) may be mounted on two or three post installations with proper breakaway features. Large, side-of-the-road, directional signs must have spe- cially designed breakaway supports, which can be of wood, aluminum. or steel. Steel breakaway supports include: 1. The "Texas design." with a slip joint feature at the base and a hinge joint below the sign to allow the post, after impact. to slip off the foundation and swing up and away from the vehicle. 2. A load-concentrated breakaway coupling (CBC) at the base and a separate breakaway feature between sign and post to allow the post to shear from the foundation upon impact and to swing away from the vehicle to avoid a secondary collision between post and vehicle. From a safety and all aesthetic standpoint, overhead signs should be mounted on overhead bridge structures whenever possible. However, such structures are not normally in the desired location and the engineer must design a sign support that will handle the d~ad load ami wind ioad of the completed sign and lighting system. The design features must further provide for the proper vertical and horizontal clearances to meet the minimum standards for that highway. " ~ Sign warrants and requisite studies Regulatory and warning signs should be used only where needed and warranted, so that their effectiveness will not be destroyed by excessive frequency. Guide signs should _ be USed whenever they can contribute to the convenience IDd facilitation of traffic movement. ~B.. Ross. JR.. K. C. WAUCEIl. AND M. J. EfFENBEROER. Crash Tem c(SlIfIIIl T SI,,, Supporrs. Interim Report. Project 3254-3. Contract DOT -FH-Il-8821. 11'71. rIIIIJlonaIion Institute. Teus A&:M Univenily, CoUege Slalion, Tex.. Sept. Uniform manual Specific warrants for the use of some regulatory signs are provided as general policy statements rather than as absolute warrants. Warrants provide a guide to sound sign application and serve as an aid in preventing the overuse of regulatory signs. Stop sign warrants.1. A stop sign may be warranted at an intersection where one or more of the following con- ditions exist: 1. Intersection of a less important road with a main road, where application of the normal right-of-way rule is un- duly hazardous. 2. Intersection of a county road, city street, or township road with a state highway. 3. Street entering a through highway or street. 4. Unsignalized intersection in a signalized area. 5. Unsignalized intersection where a combination of high speed, restricted view, and serious accident records in- dicate a need for control by the stop sign. Stop signs cannot be erected at intersections where traffic control signals are present because the signals should be operated continuously, either in normal or flashing opera- tion. Moreover, stop signs should not be installed for the sole purpose of controlling the speeds of the motorists. "Multiway" (four-way or ail-way) stop installations can be used as a- safety measure at some locations where the volume on the intersecting roads is approximately equal and the following conditions have been established: i ,~ ~ ,./ , " I ~ d , 'f'l' T';:; .' 1. Where traffic signals are warranted and urgently needed. the multi way is an interim measure that can be installed quickly to control traffic while arrangements are being made for the signal installation. 2. An accident problem as indicated by five or more re- ported accidents in a 12-month period of a type suscep- tible to correction by a multiway stop installation. 3. Minimum traffic volume: a. The total vehicular volume entering the intersection from all appro~ches must !!.vet:!.ge at least 500 vc- hicleslh for any 8 h of an average day, and b. The combined vehicular and pedestrian volume from the minor street or highway must average at least 200 unitslh for the same 8 h, with an average delay to minor street vehicular traffic of at least 30 slvehic1e during the maximum hour, but c. When the 85th percentile approach speed of the major street traffic exceeds 40 mph (64 kmIh), the minimum vehicular volume warrant is 70% of the foregoing requirements . :,'."1 I . Ii Ii. I...! 1,1i;'I';! :'1. ; 1,1 JVl!1 '" 1 r: ,r, I It .i I' :.\ f' f ! I '; , Il' , j 1 I.' ;j r ~ ~ : i .. I l , , < . Yield sign warrants.ll Yield sign warrants are estab- lished as follows: , '1 ;' ~'. '',I ~ 1. ", h, :H t-r( ~' !'i IOUniform MtIIUIDl. Sees. 2B-~, 28-6. IIlbid., Sec. 28-8. -I Traffic Signs and Markings 717 T fr~