Highway Sights : The Long, Winding Road to Getting Freeway Signs Changed

We’d be lost without them, but we probably don’t think much about them until they are right in our face. Freeway signs that indicate where to get on or off onto a particular street are an essential part of daily driving life, but most folks probably haven’t given much thought to the twists and turns involved in getting those green and white signs in place.

The city of Escondido has learned that, among other things, it takes a lot of patience. Several years in the making, 11 freeway signs highlighting the route to Auto Park Way--a main thoroughfare in the city populated by car dealerships and other businesses--are now in place.

Here’s a look at the process of getting freeway signage--and some of the things that can go wrong along the way.

Whose idea was it to put up the signs?

Back in 1988, a group of Auto Park Way merchants decided they would try to get approval for freeway signs that would draw attention to their street, and subsequently to their businesses. The existing freeway signs directed motorists only to 9th Avenue, even though the thoroughfare had been split into two separate streets--9th and Auto Park Way.

The merchants approached the Escondido City Council with their request, which was approved by the council. The city of Escondido then contacted the California Department of Transportation in San Diego, which is responsible for all of the county’s freeway signage.

“The hope is that those signs will generate increased business for the Auto Park Way businesses, and that, in turn, will generate more revenue for the city,” said Joyce Masterson, a management analyst in the city manager’s office.

How much did the project cost and how was it funded?

The total price tag was about $160,000, including design, engineering, construction, replacement of some weak concrete poles and bases, and inspection, according to Mike Adams, Escondido director of public works. Eight new signs were erected and three others were refurbished. The signs were paid for by the city’s Capital Improvement Fund, Adams said.

What are the mechanics of making the change?

After a city provides Caltrans with a resolution supporting a change in highway signs, Caltrans goes out to the site and takes inventory--deciding the number and type of signs needed, whether signs have to be completely replaced or refurbished--and presents the city with an estimate of the cost.

If the city agrees to the price, it sets up an account with Caltrans and pays the total up front, Caltrans spokesman Tom Nipper said. It is because these costs can be so exorbitant that cities do not take the matter of new signs or street name changes lightly, Nipper said.

“Cities are usually pretty stringent on what they want to change,” Nipper said. “Because it’s going to cost them several hundred thousands of dollars, they won’t change a street name or sign for fun.”

“They’re not going to want to put up something that is outrageous,” Nipper added. “I don’t know of any signs deemed inappropriate. Mainly because of the cost, no one is going to go to all this trouble for an April Fool’s joke.”

What is the “normal” amount of time for a project like this?

After Caltrans has done its inventory and the city has provided the project money, it usually takes four to six months for Caltrans to design, manufacture and install the new signs, Nipper said. However, delays can occur, and in the case of Escondido, they did so with a vengeance.

Why the delays in the Escondido project?

To start with, Caltrans made a mistake on the original cost estimate for the project, quoting to Escondido officials a much lower figure than the actual $160,000 needed. Caltrans workers had to go back to the Auto Park Way site and re-evaluate the cost, and this created a delay of several months, Nipper said.

The second significant delay in the Escondido project occurred when the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco wreaked havoc in that area. Caltrans structuralists based in Sacramento and responsible for San Diego County projects were pulled off everything to give top priority to rebuilding and strengthening San Francisco’s damaged bridges and signs. It was months before the structuralists were back on track with their regular work.

Eventually back on track, Caltrans contracted out the task of making the freeway signs, so it went through the time-consuming process of advertising for a contractor and examining bids. Additional delay occurred because the sign maker who was selected was backlogged more than a year on other sign projects.

All together, the signs were four years in the making.

“Escondido was by no means a good representative of what it takes to change a sign,” Nipper said.

Where are these signs?

The signs are along Interstate 15 between Via Rancho Parkway and California 78.

The signs direct motorists east to 9th Avenue and west to Auto Park Way. The roadway is continuous, but changes names as it passes under I-15.