Purchase Specifications for the City Of Boston
Side-of-Pole and Mast Arm Mounted Internally-Illuminated LED Street Name Signs
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Overview: This sign specification denotes both the general and particular details
required by the City Of Boston for its side-of-pole and Mast Arm mount internallyilluminated LED Street Signs. All materials used in fabrication must be new. The LED
signs must be new and unused. These signs shall be compliant to relevant traffic
control requirements as required by the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices
(MUTCD), Edition 2009.
Upon request the vendor shall furnish, at no cost to the city, one complete sample
sign assembly and mounting assemble for inspection by the engineer prior to
awarding the contract.
1.0 Mechanical Specifications
a. The outer dimensions of the sign assembly shall be a minimum height of 12”
and a maximum of 18”. The standard nominal widths of the sign shall be a
minimum of 42” and a maximum of 48” for flag mounted signs. To
accommodate street name legends of varying lengths mast arm mounted
signs may be wider than 48”.
b. The maximum thickness of the sign shall be no more than 2.75” inches at any
point along the sign’s enclosure.
c. The sign’s end caps shall not be greater than 2.75” thick, as viewed from
front to back, while facing the fully-assembled sign.
d. The maximum weight of each sign shall be determined by the total width and
height of the sign’s outside finished dimensions.
e. Individual sign weights, including their outside finished edges shall be built so
as NOT TO EXCEED (NTE): 7 pounds per linear foot
f. Each fixture shall have the manufacturer’s name, trademark, model number,
and serial number, date of manufacture (month/year) and lot number
permanently marked on inside of each unit.
g. Operating characteristics shall be permanently marked inside each unit:
Voltage rating, power rating (in watts and volt-ampere) and fixture efficiency
rating (LER)
2.0 Exterior Finish
a. All exterior surfaces of the sign assembly shall be powder-coat (texture or
sem-gloss painted black TBD) free of lead and mercury
3.0 Sheeting, Lettering, City Seal
a. The sign legend’s graphic film shall be composed of 3M Electro-cut (EC)
material Green Reflective “High Intensity” grade with white lettering Reflective
“High Intensity” grade. (font = clear-view)
b. For 12” sign the letter size shall be 6”, series C upper case for the street
name and 3”, series C upper case for the “ST”, “AVE”, “PL”, etc. For 18” sign
the letter size shall be 9”, series D upper case for the street name and 5”,
series D upper case for the “ST”, “AVE”, “PL”, etc. Sign shall be double sided
message.
c. All signs shall have the City seal unless specifically approved otherwise.
d. The city seal shall be an exact replica of the official “City of Boston” seal. The
diameter of the city seal shall be equal to the letter height of the street name.
The city seal shall be placed before the street name on the sign.
e. The sign shall have translucent, acrylic panels that are UV, weather, abrasion,
and impact resistant able to withstand five (5) years of 500mm UV light.
f. The sign enclosure shall have a weatherproof design that ensures water does
not reach internal components, and shall be able to do so in its design,
without the use of silicone.
g. No silicone will be used in the weather resistant seal of the sign or electrical
wiring.
4.0 Mounting System
a. All flag mounted (side mounted) signs must be supplied with attached
mounting bracket(s) Self-tapping screws will not be accepted. Mounting
hardware must be welded to the sign housing or attached using SS bolts, SS
airplane fiber insert nuts and SS washers.
b. Mast arm mounted signs shall be supplied with attached mounting hardware
and safety chain assembly or ss cable. Self-tapping screws will not be
accepted. Mounting hardware must be welded to the sign housing or attached
using SS bolts, SS airplane fiber insert nuts and SS washers.
5.0 Environmental Specifications
a. The sign shall be designed and constructed to withstand 110 mph wind loads
in conformance with the requirements of the AASHTO publication, "Standard
Specifications for Structural Supports of Highway Signs, Luminaries and
Traffic Signals," 4th Edition 2001.
b. The sign and power supply should be able to withstand and operate at
temperature extremes of -40 deg F to +140 deg F.
6.0 Luminance & LED Electrical Requirements
a. The light source for the sign shall be LEDs (light emitting diodes). The LEDs
shall evenly illuminate the sign face. The LEDs shall be rated to operate at no
less than 70% of their initial brightness for 50,000 hours. A minimum of
twelve LEDs per linear foot shall be used. LED’s must have a minimum
viewing angle of 20 degrees consuming a minimum of 7 watts per linear foot
and an output of over 500 lumens per foot
b. The sign’s LED power supply driver shall be housed inside the sign frame
assembly housing.
c. The electrical requirements for the sign’s power supply shall be as follows:
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Input Voltage of 120V
Input frequency of 50/60Hz
Wiring for the LED street sign shall be S.O. cable or suitable
equal to be used in a hostile outdoor environment. The cord
shall have a drip loop incorporated into the sign to allow water
to drain off properly.
Wire connection to the street sign shall use a fitting that, in
conjunction with the cable, shall not allow any moisture, water
or other contaminants into the sign housing.
The unit shall be equipped with an in –line water tight cartridge
fuse suitable for the unit. This will prevent any stray voltage.
The unit shall have a quick make quick break connection to
allow easy replacement of the unit. The connector shall be
watertight and shall be installed after the inline fuse.
7.0 Energy Requirements
a. The average power consumption of the sign shall not exceed 30 Watts.
8.0 Product Guarantee
a. Sign must be guaranteed for a minimum of five years. All materials including,
housing assembly, panels, internal wiring, LED’s and drivers must have a
minimum warranty of five years