Tramore House RDO has been to the fore in the project management of the NRA’s national signage and delineation programme since 1996.  The aim of the programme was to update directional signage and road markings on national roads to the Department of Environment (DOE) Traffic Signs Manual 1996 standard and to provide uniform quality of materials, application and design. Initially only new sign schemes on national roads were dealt with but now the office manages the maintenance of signs in the North east and South east of Ireland . The team includes two sign designers and three sign maintenance engineers.

As well as designing and maintaining National Road Signs, Tramore House: -

• Manage National Road Authority lines contracts
• Manage National Roads Authority road signs contracts
• Design signs for a number of major roads schemes in the south of the country
• Check Sign design for Consultants involved with the National Signs Program
• Check Sign design for contractors on major road schemes
• Design Signs for major road schemes

SIGN DESIGN

Our current Sign Design Schemes include: -

• N27 – Cork City to  - at approval stage
• N28 -   Cork City to  - at approval stage
• N29 – Belview Port - at contract stage
• N76 - Clonmel to Kilkenny - at approval stage
• N67 – Kilcolgan to Miltown Malby  - at tender stage
• R639(N8) – Cashel to Mitchelstown – Phase 2 - at tender stage
• N25 - Youghal – Kilmeaden – at tender stage
• N25 – (Kilkenny) - currently at design stage
• N25 – (Wexford) - currently at design stage
• (N9) – M9 Phase 2 - currently at initial design stage
• N25 Waterford Bypass- alternate route signage- currently at initial design stage
• M6 Blue - Jn 1 to Jn 5 – Phase 2 – at construction stage

SIGN REFURBISHMENT PROGRAM

The Sign Refurbishment program is designed to achieve an inspection and refurbishment regime that will deliver consistently high quality signage to the Road User. Each Contract aims to refurbish signage on the relevant national routes up to the levels specified in TS4 Guidelines on Sign Materials and the Traffic Signs Manual.

The Contract’s should ensure that all signs requiring attention are maintained to a consistent and satisfactory level. This is to be achieved by the use of Inspection and Refurbishment checks of all signs along the routes through-out the year. An annual inspection and 3 no. cursory inspections per year made by the Contractors Sign Inspector will identify any defects requiring attention. The Contractor will record details and defects and will identify all major defects requiring detailed repair/replacement. In conjunction with the recording of sign details all signs are to receive a routine refurbishment once a year. This will include the cleaning of sign faces, hedge trimming, tightening/replacing of brackets/pole caps/clips and straightening of signs.

The plan incorporates the participation of the specific Regional Design Offices around the country. These offices will share in the management of the contracts being carried out in their individual localities. This means that the Local Authorities and the Contractors will have direct contacts in the area in which the contract is based.

The contracts have a 2 year term with an option to extend for a further 2 years.

2005 Contracts:

·          N2, N3, N7 & N12 Contract (completed)

·         N9, N10, N11 & N25 Contract

·         N17, N18, N19 & N20 Contract (completed)

2006 Contracts:

·         N8, N30, N80, N81, N77 & N78 Contract

·         N51, N52, N53, N54, N55, N63 & N87 Contract

·         N21, N22, N23 & N24 Contract

2007 Contracts:

·         N4, N5, N60 & N61 Contract

·         N1, N2, N3, N7 & N12 Contract

·         N27, N28, N69, N70, N71 & N86 Contract

·         N13, N14, N15, N16 & N56 Contract

·         N26, N58, N59, N83 & N84 Contract

·         N6, N65, N66, N67, N68 & N85 Contract

·         N62, N72, N73, N74, N75 & N76 Contract

2008 Contracts:

·         N17, N18, N19 & N20 Contract

Inspection

The purpose of inspections is to detect sign defects associated with the performance of signs. The Contractor will nominate a suitably qualified inspector with a strong knowledge of sign mechanics and experience in either traffic sign erecting or traffic sign manufacture. The inspector will undertake a Detailed Inspection once a year and 3 Cursory Inspections in the intervening period. 

The Inspector must inspect the signs physically to ensure the signs are performing properly. All signs shall be numbered to assist an inspection and inventory system. The inventory will include co-ordinates, photos, observed defects, name of manufacturer, date of manufacture, sign and post sizes, Class of sign face material, etc. On this inventory he will list and categorise defects so as to produce a refurbishment programme to be agreed with the Engineer prior to undertaking any works.

Refurbishment

All roadside mounted sign faces and their reference numbers shall be refurbished at twelve month intervals in conjunction with the detailed inspections.

In General the Contractor must

·         Carry out an annual inspection, cleaning, and refurbishment program on all signs encompassing

·         Inspection of each sign and recording of substantial defects

Thorough cleaning of each sign

·         All minor repairs to signs not requiring sign face or post replacement

·         Hedge trimming to ensure adequate visibility of signs

·         Carry out 3 cursory inspection and refurbishment programs annually encompassing

cleaning and minor repairs as needed

·         recording of substantial defects

·         Carry out non routine replacement or repair as instructed by the Engineer

·         Create and maintain an inventory of signage

Replacement Schedule

Sign and Pole replacement and non routine repair may only be carried out when the contractor is instructed in writing to carry out such replacement or repair by the Engineer following his earlier submission of defects and ameliorative action programme. Where a replacement sign is required, the Engineer and Local Authority will be consulted as to whether any changes are needed to avoid replicating obsolete sign faces. When minor changes are required these may be carried out using suitable adhesive patches of the relevant retroreflective material. Design of signs where changes have been made is the responsibility of the Engineer. All replacement of regulatory and warning signs shall be in accordance with the drawings in the Traffic Signs Manual (TSM).

Testing the Visual Performance of Signs following Inspection

Following inspection the inspector will nominate a maximum of 10% of signs on the contract for testing which may be modified by the Engineer following consultation. These will preferably be signs installed ≥ 10 years and will be tested in accordance with the requirements of TS4. Signs failing the testing parameters may be replaced as directed by the Engineer.

NOTE:

It will be the Engineers responsibilty to ensure that the Inspections, Refurbishment and Sign Replacement Schedules are taking place within the time frame set out in the contract

Category of Defects & Response Times

The categorisation of defects will establish the maximum response times for the maintaining or correcting of sanctioned defects and will be set out in the non- routine refurbishment programme. All defects shall be repaired according to the category of failure within the response time specified in Table 2.

Table 1 Category of Defects

Table 2 Response Times

Inventory and Defects Lists

The contractor will create a signs inventory of all signage covered by the contract for the Engineer within 3 months of the first detailed inspection. This list will describe the problem with the sign with attached photo of the problem, the contractor’s proposed ameliorative action and the defect categorization he has attributed to the problem. This list will be forwarded to the Engineer for approval and/or reclassification of the non-routine refurbishment works and will constitute the non-routine refurbishment programme. This process will be repeated throughout the contract period following each detailed inspection. The inventory will have the following minimum information attached

Records

The contractor will maintain and keep records of all inspections carried out together with identified defects and actual response times.  All signs shall be numbered to assist an inspection and inventory system. Numbers will be on adhesive labels consisting of black numerals on a white reflective background, fixed to the sign post in a position that can be readily seen from a moving vehicle. Under no circumstances must reference numbers be applied to any part of the sign face.

Health & Safety

All parties to the Contract must comply with current Health & Safety Legislation

The NRA will assess and appoint the following:

·       Project Supervisor Design Process

·       The Designer

·       Health & Safety Coordinator for Design Process

·       Project Supervisor Construction Stage

·       Health & Safety Coordinator for Construction Stage

·       The NRA will prepare the Preliminary Health & Safety Plan

Before work on site begins the Contractor must prepare a detailed Health and Safety Plan, Safety Statement and a Traffic Management plan. All of these must be submitted to the managing Design Office and to the NRA. Copies can be made available to the Local Authorities.

Regular checks will be carried out on crews working on site by the NRA, the managing or local Design Office and the Local Authority. Should any unsafe practices be in place, a site safety notice will be issued and the Project Supervisor Construction Stage will be notified of his non compliance with the Contract.

Problems with contractor safety should be reported immediately to the NRA.

The RDO will maintain the Health & Safety File during the contract.

Managing RDO Responsibilities

It is the Engineers responsibility to:

·       Supervise the Contractors performance - ensure that he is performing safely, efficiently, accurately and within the proposed time frame

·       Make sure that the Contractor is adhering to the regulations and specifications set down in the Contract

·       Inspect the quality of work regularly

·       Manage the signs database and provide copies to the Local Authorities

·       Issue instructions regarding repair of defects and replacement of signs

·       Keep an up-to-date Health & Safety file

·       Approve valuations for the NRA

Sign Replacement Schedules

When the first sign refurbishment contract started Tramore House and the NRA collaborated to come up with a system for handling schedules and how to get the best value for money. The general consensus is:

·       The budget has a limit. The managing Engineer should aim to get best value for money across the whole contract and should be aware of all the routes from the outset i.e. all routes should be improved to a reasonable standard rather than one route being prioritised at the expense of other routes.

·       Although the Contractors comments are useful as regards what signs should be replaced the managing Engineer should still check all signs him/herself, especially at the beginning of a contract.

·       The first schedule of work on each route should be conducted as follows:

o    It should improve signs that are obviously damaged, incorrect or missing e.g. faded signs, broken signs, signs not visible, incorrect warning or regulatory signage.

o    Be approached from the point view of a driver i.e. picking out what a driver would notice as visibly incorrect.

o    It is not a time to bring every sign on the route up to exacting TSM standards e.g. replacing signs or poles that are slightly outside standard.

·       The subsequent schedules of work on each route should be conducted as follows:

o    Signs that may have been missed on the first schedule, or have subsequently suffered failure, ( and are obviously damaged, incorrect or missing) should be replaced

o    Over time and within budget constraints, all signs should be brought up to TSM standards in the following manner

o    where possible using replacement to change signage to the standard appropriate to the route and speed

o    Using a planned program, built around value for money and safety evaluations, to change signs of a particular category to the proper standard.

·       The managing Engineer should regularly liaise with the NRA Signs Inspector and should inform the Inspector when sending out schedules and their value.

·       The NRA may decide to procure directional signage under the sign refurbishment contract. The managing Engineer should be aware of any upcoming directional signage contract on the sign refurbishment routes and adjust budgets if necessary.

ROAD MARKING

Tramore House project manages the National Delineation Program contracts for the NRA. This program aims to provide a consistent standard of road lining and reflective road studs on national routes. As with the signs program a number of routes are selected each year and markings are upgraded to a consistent standard.

Our current Lines Schemes include:

• 2009 N81 delineation design- at initial design stage
• 2008 M6 (Jn 1 to Jn 5) Motorway Upgrade- completed
• 2008 M8 Cashel Bypass - Motorway Upgrade- completed
• 2008 N11 Dublin City Dual carriageway Trial Marking – completed
• 2008 M1 Chainage markers - at tender stage
• 2007 Con 2 - N24, N73, N74 & N76
• 2007 Con 4 - N51, N53, N54, N55 & N87
• 2005 Con 1 - N2, N3 & N12
• 2005 Con 2 - N7, N8
• 2005 Con 6 - N11, N25 & N30
• 2005 Con 7 - N5

Lines Schemes for next year are being prepared in Donegal NRDO, Kerry NRDO and in this office for 2009. It is intended to line the following routes next year. N81, N80, N63, N62, N55 and N54.

Gantries & Cantilevers

Tramore House project manages the NRA’s Gantry & Cantilever reterofit Program for the NRA. This program aims to reterofit national junctions meeting the NRA’s standard criteria for overhead signage on national routes. As with the signs program a number of contracts are to be tendered  each year.

Our current gantry schemes include:

• M7/M9,M7/N8 & N20/N21D&B contract- 6 Gantries & 4 Cantilevers – completed 2008

• Gantry Framework Agreement – awarded to 3 participants

·         M1 (Phase 1 – M50 [J0] to Gormanston) –14 cantilevers and 15 gantries

·         M1 (Phase 2 – Gormanston to Border) – 24 cantilevers and No gantries

·         N3 (Fingal) – 5 cantilevers and 5 gantries

·         M4 (Leixlip to Kinnegad) – 10 cantilevers, 6 gantries and 1 butterfly

·         N4 (Kinnegad to Sligo ) – 10 cantilevers and No gantries

·         N7 ( Kingswood to Saggart) – 4 cantilevers and 5 gantries

·         M7 (J12 to Portloais) – 11 cantilevers and No gantries

·         M11/N11 – To be assessed

·         N18 ( Limerick to Ennis) – 6 cantilevers and 2 gantries

·         N20 (Limerick to Cork ) – 14 cantilevers and No gantries

©TRAMORE HOUSE REGIONAL DESIGN OFFICE  2001   TEL: +353 51 390 130   FAX: +353 51 390 699

[Home | Signs+Lines]