Seattle changing its street signs; old ones for sale

Seattle is getting all new street signs, Mayor Greg Nickels announced this morning, and the old signs are going on sale.

"The average street sign is now 15 years old," Nickels said at a news conference at Pike Place Market, where he showed off new signs for Pike Place and Pike Street.

"Unlike disco, we find older signs are not making a comeback," he said.

Between now and 2012, the city will put up new signs at the city's 17,000 intersections, using money raised by the Bridging the Gap levy that voters passed last year.

The project will cost $2.5 million to $3.4 million.

The city's transportation department has already begun swapping out the signs, and expects to get to 1,020 intersections by the end of this year.

The new signs are about a third larger and reflective, making them easier to read, but the design looks similar to the old signs, with white lettering on a green background.

Most of the old signs will be sold to the public for $5 to $10, and the more iconic signs, such as Pike and Pine streets, will be auctioned off on eBay. The city has not set a date for when those auctions will begin. All proceeds will go to the transportation department.

The list will be regularly updated as more street signs become available. Signs that nobody wants will be turned into scrap metal.

To find out which signs are available for sale, call 206-684-0827 or visit www.seattle.gov/transportation/buy_a_sign.htm. They also can be purchased in at the city's Surplus Warehouse at 3807 Second Ave. S.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com