The bigger the letters

Drivers traveling in Kitsap County may notice larger street signs here and there — that’s because of a federal sign standard that was passed about five years ago.

The feds gave the county seven years to replace the street signs to meet the new standard, according to Jeff Shea, traffic maintenance engineer with Kitsap County Public Works. The new standard was implemented because the driving population is growing older.

“The signs, the size, the shape and where they go is based on the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices,” he said.

Previously the letters on all street signs, whether they were on a traffic signal mast arms or on wooden posts, were 4 inches. For signs on the mast arms, the new standard is 12 inches for capital letters and 9 inches for smaller letters. The new standard for roads with speed

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