Receive and File
This item is being presented at the request of Council Member Flynn. The City Council has in previous years requested that street name signs, including the internally illuminated street name signs (IISNS) at traffic signals be replaced with new signage to update faded and dates . This report will focus on traffic signal street name signs.
Background and Fiscal Outlook:
The City is the responsible maintenance entity for ten (10) traffic signals within the City of Banning, and shares responsibility of maintenance for eight (8) traffic signals on Highland Springs Avenue with the City of Beaumont. Under that agreement, Beaumont is the maintenance entity for those signals, and the City of Banning provides for half of the maintenance cost for those 8 signals to the City of Beaumont. Caltrans maintains signals at the ramp terminals at Highland Springs Avenue and Sunset Avenue.
Signage throughout the Citywide traffic signals is in various states of repair, with newer signage along the Atwell frontages in good condition and with the current City logo. The intersection of Ramsey and 8th was replaced earlier in 2026. Other signage is in fair to poor condition, faded, and with old logos. Previous discussion with Council was to include for an accelerated replacement using new appropriations in the FYs 25/26 and 26/27 budget cycles.
Funding is the largest impediment to executing the sign replacements City wide. The replacements at Ramsey/8th Street totaled $4,850 which accounted for nearly 20% of the annual sign budget for the City. The last 2-year budget was for FYs 24/25 and 25/26. In March 2025, staff made a presentation to City Council regarding the status of the IISNS throughout the City with a proposed action plan. Unfortunately, due to mid-cycle budget restrictions, the additional funding authorizations necessary to implement the repairs were not made. The Continuing Resolution for the FY 26/27 budget and the adopted FY 26/27 budget also did not include the required additional funds from the Streets Department (Fund 100) to make these repairs. The funding appropriated in the current fiscal year for street signs will need to be utilized for updates to the Speed Limit signage city wide to comply with the adopted speed study.
Citywide Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Traffic Signal Project
The City has been working on a HSIP grant to make safety updates to traffic signals City wide. That grant funded project would make safety upgrades at the intersections, including backplate reflectiveness upgrades, pedestrian countdown heads, audible pedestrian crossing devices, and emergency vehicle pre-emption, implemented on an as-needed basis to the 18 traffic signals the City fully or partially manages plus the Caltrans signals at the Highland Springs ramp terminals. The grant does not include for new signage. This particular project has been delayed as the plans are moving thorough Caltrans Encroachment Permit review for the last several months related to the Highland Springs ramp terminals to add the emergency vehicle pre-emption.
Under the terms of the HSIP grant, the City is responsible for 10% of the design and construction costs. The current Measure A Capital Expenditure Program and City of Banning Capital Improvement program allocate for the 10% match, without using fund reserves in the Special Revenue Funds (100, 101, 102). As stated previously, it is staff's intention to include an alternate bid item on the HSIP project that would replace the signage. The additional funding required would be offset by additional Measure A revenues, and would require a future revision to the Measure A Capital Expenditure Plan and the City of Banning Capital Improvement Program since the work is not included directly in the grant program. The purpose for bundling would be to achieve an economy of scale for all the signals with the other proposed work.
Outside of Caltrans approvals, the remainder of the project is permit ready. Once Caltrans clears the encroachment permit, the City will be authorized to solicit bids for construction, then seek Caltrans approvals of the bid to allocate the grant funding, then authorize construction. Anticipated construction would be early to mid 2027.
Signage updates would occur at the following locations:
- Ramsey/Hathaway
- Ramsey/Hargrave
- Ramsey/San Gorgonio
- Ramsey/4th
- Ramsey/22nd
- Ramsey/Sunset
- Ramsey/Highland Springs
- Wilson/Mountain
- Sun Lakes/Highland Springs
- Sun Lakes Village/Highland Springs
The remaining intersections meet current standards.
City of Beaumont Traffic Signal Smart Technology Project
As discussed in a separate item on tonight's agenda, the City of Beaumont has entered into a construction contract for traffic signals on Highland Springs Avenue to add adaptive and connected traffic signal detection and operations. Staff attended a pre-construction meeting with the City of Beaumont on October 15, 2026 to discuss this project, and the components therein. At the meeting, City staff requested that as part of the work at the intersection of Highland Springs Avenue and Ramsey Street include a pre-wire to allow for IISNS to replace the current reflective boards at the intersection. That project does require new cabling to be pulled to all components of the existing intersection. Inclusion of the pre-wire will reduce costs to implement IISNS at this intersection as part of the HSIP project addition discussed above.
Logo Change Discussions
The street name panels include a City of Banning logo along with the street name itself. At the October 13, 2026 City Council meeting, there was discussion about changes to the logo. It should be noted in this discussion that unless a new logo is adopted prior to the invitation for bid for the HSIP project anticipated in Winter 26/27, the current logo will be utilized in the replacement signage. Replacement signage would be expected to remain for at least 10-15 years before replacement would be necessary.
This report was requested as follow up from a previously requested Council discussion.
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.