RD96 - Virginia Department of Transportation Integrated Directional Signing Program – Supplemental Guide Sign Program - HB 1263 (2013) - January 2014


Executive Summary:
In mid-2004, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) introduced the Integrated Directional Signing Program (IDSP) to serve as an umbrella for four specific signing programs VDOT administers. The four parts of the IDSP are the Specific Travel Services (LOGO) Signing Program, the Tourist-Oriented Directional Signs (TODS) Program, the Supplemental Guide Signs (SGS) Program, and the General Motorist Services Signs (GMSS) Program. Appendix A provides examples of signs for each program. The four signing programs are administered under the auspices of the IDSP, and each program is required to be in compliance with the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) specific criteria.

Prior to implementing the IDSP, VDOT’s Central Office Traffic Engineering Division (TED) administered the LOGO program on a statewide basis through their contractor, Virginia Logos (VL). VDOT’s nine construction districts were responsible for overseeing, administering, operating, and maintaining the SGS and the GMSS programs consistent with the MUTCD and VDOT policy. In 2004, the TODS program was included as the fourth signing program in VDOT’s IDSP. VDOT specifically developed the IDSP to help promote statewide consistency in the application of the various directional signing programs and to provide a “one-stop shop” for entities desiring service signing on VDOT’s roadway system.

Currently, VDOT oversees the administration and operation of the IDSP through the use of its contractor, VL. VL is responsible for serving as the “one-stop shop” for participants desiring IDSP signage. VL oversees the day-to-day operations of the four signing programs, answers potential and current participant questions, addresses signing concerns, and identifies preferred locations for signs in accordance with FHWA and VDOT policy. In addition, VL is responsible for the design, fabrication, installation, and maintenance of the signs and administers contracts with more than 6,000 participants statewide.