Sign Structures

Overhead sign structures are among the most structurally demanding pieces of highway infrastructure — a full-span sign bridge over an interstate carries sign panels weighing significant loads, exposed to sustained wind and the corrosive effects of road salt spray. Road Safety Systems installs overhead sign structures across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, including New Jersey Turnpike signage projects.

Sign Structure Types

**Full-Span Overhead Structures**: Truss or monotube sign bridges that span the entire roadway, supported on columns at each shoulder, used for multi-lane guide signs and toll gantries.

**Cantilever Sign Structures**: Single-column structures with a horizontal arm extending over one or more travel lanes, used where a full-span structure is not required or where median width prevents column placement on both sides.

**Span-Wire Systems**: Steel cables spanning the roadway between two poles, supporting signs suspended from the cables — a lighter, more economical alternative for locations where vibration and wind loads are manageable.

Structural Engineering and Foundations

Every overhead sign structure begins with structural engineering per AASHTO Standard Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires, and Traffic Signals (LTS-6) and the applicable agency's structural design manual. Foundations are typically drilled shafts sized to the structure's wind and dead loads, and erection is coordinated with lane closures to minimize impact on travel lanes.

Erection Sequencing and Traffic Control

Erecting an overhead sign structure over live travel lanes is one of the more logistically demanding parts of highway signage work — it typically requires a crane, a full or rolling lane closure, and a tightly sequenced erection plan to minimize the time traffic is disrupted. We coordinate structure erection with the project's traffic control plan and, where required, with law enforcement and the agency's traffic operations center, aiming to complete the lift and initial connection during the shortest practical closure window.