New Brighton to get distinctive street signs

The new signs feature a logo, larger letters and a reflective finish.

Over the next three years the city will replace the old signs with ones that are easier to see.

By ALLIE SHAH, Star Tribune

Last update: March 17, 2009 - 11:40 PM

Roseville has its signature rose. Maplewood uses a maple leaf to tell drivers when they've entered the city.

Now, New Brighton is joining other suburbs in adding its logo to street signs.

Designs for the new signs were approved unanimously by the New Brighton City Council at last week's regular meeting.

Prompted by a federal requirement that all cities comply with new visibility standards for street signs by January 2012, New Brighton officials are starting a three-year replacement project. Not only will the new signs sport the city's logo -- a capital "N" and "B" -- they also will feature larger letters and a reflective finish.

"It's really going to identify New Brighton with a sense of place," said Grant Wyffels, the city's public works director.

Letters on the old signs were 4 inches high. On the new street signs, the first letter or number of each name will be 6 inches high. For example, for a street named Serendipity Lane, the "S" and "L" would be larger than before, Wyffels said. The block numbers for each street will appear in the right-hand corner.

New Brighton City Manager Dean Lotter said the updated street signs will be installed in 2009, 2010 and 2011, with crews working on one-third of the city at a time.

"I think it's cool, especially if you have people who are either new to the community or coming to visit family and friends," Lotter said.

The first area to get the new signs will be the southern part of New Brighton, from County Road D and County Road E, Wyffels said.

City officials looked at street signs in Fridley, Shoreview, Lexington, Arden Hills, Blaine, Roseville and St. Anthony before coming up with their own design ideas.

The search for a new and improved signs began in earnest last month. City officials posted five designs for new street signs at City Hall and at neighborhood meetings, and asked residents to vote for their favorite before the City Council decision.

The project's cost originally was estimated at $50,000.

However, the winning design, which features both the city logo and the block numbers, has added about $7,000 to that estimate, city officials said.

Allie Shah • 612-673-4488