The presence of wide shields on the north extension of IA 196 to new US 20 has been documented here already. It’s not a good look. Notably, these shields were not put up by the state, but by a contractor. It’s not the only incident of the latter happening in the state.
This shield was up May 10, 2012, at the IA 8/21 intersection in Dysart. At the time, US 218 was closed for a bridge replacement in La Porte City. This was also set up by a contractor, IPSI.
It used to be that the state would set up the detour assemblies, and may still do so in some cases. The US 63 detours north of Traer in 1997-98 were all handled by the state, with signs up ahead of time. But the presence of contractors’ signs up during and after construction projects is becoming more noticeable. Perhaps it’s a cost-saving measure by the state. If the contractor does multiple projects in an area, the shields can be recycled.
This wouldn’t be an issue at all, except the signs don’t match state standards. Something is off on them. The double-arrow assembly, for example, is also non-standard to Iowa signage.
It’s likely these newer signs are built to conform to the 2009 edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, on a subject the state of Iowa has been nonconformist about.
A 24 x 24-inch minimum sign size shall be used for U.S. route numbers with one or two digits, and a 30 x 24-inch minimum sign size shall be used for U.S. route numbers having three digits. — 2009 MUTCD Section 2D.11.09
Yes, that’s right — although you may not notice it while driving, your standard highway sign is 2 feet by 2 feet.
Missouri has made great leaps into compliance with this rule in the past few years, replacing nearly all its square 3-digit shields. Iowa, however, has not. The only 3-digit US route in the state that does not include “1” as a digit is US 275, so we’ve been able to get away with it.
The issue really rears its ugly head when state-shaped shields, like Missouri’s, and circular shields, like Iowa’s, are stretched out to meet this specification. See, for example, the signs on the IA 330 extension to I-80.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind it if the state dragged its feet as long as possible (i.e. using existing inventory) on this matter. But like implementing the larger initial capital letter on cardinal directions, it may only be a matter of time.