ACTS

Roadway Friendliness Tool

Treatment 8: Backplates on Signals

Michigan Standard: These backplates are not required.

Where might you find this on your system: You will find these at traffic signals.

Recommendation: Backplates make it easier for the motorist to distinguish traffic signal displays from tree or sky background. While a backplate would be helpful at any signal, areas of greatest need would be on east-west approaches that experience sun glare, and on any direction high-speed approach.

Conflicts with other community goals: No conflicts have been identified.

Ease of implementation: Backplates are simple devices in terms of materials, but construction may be complicated. The addition of a backplate to an existing signal will require use of a cherry-picker, and should include extra labor and devices to close one or two lanes on several of the intersection approaches. A two-person crew is required to install them, and additional flaggers, cones and a lighted arrow panel may be required, as well.

Because backplates add considerable wind loading to traffic signals, it is not considered feasible to place a backplate on a signal that is suspended by a single span wire (typical Michigan installation). This problem can be overcome by installing a second span wire attached to the bottom of the signal. At intersections where, for other reasons, the signals have been mounted by the much more expensive mast arm method, the backplates can attach easily.

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Roadway Friendliness Tool