Signs of Change in Huron – 1968

Twenty-one years after the subject of Monday’s blog post about the 1947 Lorain street signs, the Journal was still patrolling the local highways in search of signs that weren’t doing their job.

On January 12, 1968, the paper turned its attention to Huron in this article that describes the city’s ambitious program to replace its old traffic signage. The photos above accompanied the article.

****

Huron’s Road Signs Hit the Road to Junk Pile
By WAYNE C. PEEKS
Staff Writer

HURON – Old battered traffic signs in Huron are going – going to the junk pile.

A two-phase program to rid Huron’s streets of present traffic signs has been initiated by Robert C. Klepper, superintendent of city streets and parks.

THE FIRST PHASE will see new stop signs on all roadways approaching the main thoroughfares and raised speed limit signs on the major roads within the city.

Phase two of the project calls for revamping or replacement of speed limit, no parking and railroad crossing signs within the city’s numerous allotments.

Klepper said he hopes to start work on phase one this spring and work should be completed by summer.

FIRST TO BE REPLACED will be the stop signs leading to major highways, Klepper said.

He said the present stop signs are 24 inches in width and the state now requires the signs to be 30 inches and also be eight sided. About 75 stop signs will be replaced, he said.

Also to be changed are speed limit signs on the major roadways.

THE SUPERINTENDENT said about 200 speed limit signs will have to be raised more off the ground so the sign will be five feet from the pavement, a state requirement.

Most of the signs are now two or three feet above the roads. Klepper noted that with higher signs, they would not become as dirty with slush from the roads and would not bend as quickly by snow-plows in the winter months.

All “Speed Meter Ahead” signs will be removed from under the speed limit signs, he said. A new state law states the warning signs do not have to be used anymore to warn the traffic of radar.

KLEPPER SAID THE state may help the city to finance and place the new stop signs and raise the speed limit signs.

Phase two will begin in the spring of 1969 and, like phase one, is expected to be completed by summer.

Allotments and side roads will be affected by the 1969 project and will include everything from repainting signs to replacing them, Klepper said.

The superintendent said most of the work in part two will be “bringing the signs up to standards.” He said Chaska and parts of Old Homestead would not be affected because of the new signs already up.

Klepper also said some of the traffic signs will be reflective; mainly stop, railroad and curve signs.

Some of the railroad signs within the community may also be replaced, he said.