All young Hunter Vincente of Chino Valley wanted to be for Halloween is a highway sign.

After all, he’s obsessed with them, spending hours a day drawing them from memory and frequently asking his mom to visit – and pose for photos with – some of his favorites.

It didn’t take much encouragement for his adoring  great aunt, Monica Rodarte, to ply her talent for sewing and create a costume of Hunter’s dreams. She hand-stitched copies of Hunter’s most beloved signs and sewed them atop an orange reflective vest she made in the style of ADOT road workers.

When Rodarte shared the picture at right with our Facebook page, we had to find out more. After all, this ingenious costume bears a replica of a green and white road sign showing directions for Williamson Valley, Prescott and Seligman. There's also a double arrow on a yellow background, along with a blue pentagon saying “Yavapai 5.”

Rodarte says her passion for sewing matches Hunter’s for road signs. She has always taken great delight in sewing costumes for children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She even makes an annual costume for a giant giraffe statue on her father’s front lawn.

As a small child, Hunter’s mother, Shannel Vincente, went through a phase when she was fascinated with weddings.

“One year I made her a wedding dress for a costume,” Monica said of Shannel. “She was so pleased!”

This year, in addition to the usual superheroes, Disney princesses and witches, Hunter will be trick-or-treating as his favorite thing: a highway sign.

And the aunt who made  it? She’s busy with the giraffe costume.  

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications

You see them every day as you commute. They’re to the left, the right and above with constant reminders of where to go, how much farther and how to get there safely.

But have you stopped to think about the humble traffic sign and where it comes from? If you haven’t, don’t worry. Our sign shop is there to do it for you.

ADOT's sign shop, located in Phoenix, is staffed by half a dozen employees turning out every sign you can think of: speed limit signs, stop signs, exit signs, signs on the sides of ADOT buildings, even the text that goes on large signs over and alongside interstates.

When crews around the state need new signs, they electronically submit a request to the shop. The shop then will check to ensure the signs match the state’s manual of approved signs for color, shape, size, etc.

Each sign is made from aluminum stock, and the shop has two different ways of turning that into the next speed limit or rest area sign.

The first is screen printing, which uses a printing press to print ink on top of reflective sheeting. The second is electric cutting, or e-cutting, which allows for cutting sign images, special characters or patterns in opaque or translucent vinyl films or reflective sheeting to build the necessary signs.

You can watch a video of our director, John Halikowski, try his hand at making signs both ways during a visit to the shop several years ago.

The shop, on average, produces 300 to 400 signs a month. A routine order takes roughly 15 days on average to turn out. But Shop Superintendent Marvin Phillips says that in cases where a sign is missing or a highway has a long-term closure, an expedited request can be fulfilled within 24 hours. That was the case is 2013 when a landside closed a section of US 89 in northern Arizona and detour signs were needed pronto.

“If we are in a rush and have a lot to do, we can do that,” Phillips said.

Adding a new highway sign is about more than designing and manufacturing it, Phillips said. The sign has to be installed right so it can stand up to weather, wind and strong drafts created by passing vehicles, especially semis.

The various components that make up a new sign are rated to last a dozen years or so, but Phillips said there are many on the freeway that are well beyond that and still looking good.

How much difference can a traffic sign make? Well, new signage was part of an ADOT project along westbound US 60 approaching Interstate 10, which, along with new lane striping, resulted in a noticeable decrease in the number of crashes along that corridor.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

Do you drive "too fast" or need to "slow down" on Interstate 17? As we shared this week, six new signs will tell you exactly that if you're exceeding the speed limit between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point, where crashes due to speeding can cause injuries, fatalities and long delays.

These speed-feedback signs are part of a $1.1 million I-17 safety project between New River and Camp Verde. They display the posted speed limit and will show drivers their speed up to 5 mph over the posted speed limit. Motorists traveling over the limit will see a digital message saying, "too fast” or “slow down."

The video above shows how they work.

A study found that Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers cited “speed too fast for conditions” as the leading driver violation in more than 40 percent of I-17 crashes in the Black Canyon City area between 2011 and 2015. The new signs are another way to remind drivers to slow down on a stretch of road where crashes can cause long delays.

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

It’s no secret that ADOT uses overhead signs to spread safety messages to motorists in Arizona. Some messages appear briefly and never resurface – these are usually related to one-time events, like concerts – and others become part of a regular rotation.

On Saturday, as part of “Move Over” Awareness Day, this recurring message will appear on overhead signs statewide:

In addition to displaying this safety message on about 100 overhead signs statewide, the Arizona Professional Towing & Recovery Association is promoting “Move Over” Awareness Day with a tow truck parade and family-friendly event on Saturday.

Arizona’s “Move Over” law requires motorists to mover over one lane – or slow down if it is not safe to change lanes – when driving by any vehicle with flashing lights pulled to the side of a road or highway. Vehicles with flashing lights includes first responders, ADOT trucks, passenger cars with emergency flashers and tow trucks.

Tow truck operators are exposed daily to the dangers of working in and alongside traffic. Nationally, one tow truck operator is killed every six days. First responders and highway workers are also at risk. Drivers can save lives, including their own, by paying attention and giving responders room to do their jobs.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

Nearly a year ago, the ADOT Sign Shop hosted ADOT Director John Halikowski as he learned what it takes to make all of the signs that you see along state highways, at rest stops and in MVD offices. Earlier this week, the ADOT Sign Shop offered the same experience to an area newscaster – on live TV.

"Buckle Up It's the Law" Sign Screen

Fox 10’s morning show weatherman Cory McCloskey broadcast showed viewers how the crews make a stop sign. The shop produces about 500 of those per year, and that's only a small percentage of the thousands of signs produced annually.

ADOT maintains about 500,000 signs around the state. They last an average of 10-15 years and are replaced when they become weathered, hard to see or no longer meet current standards.

Besides going through the sign-making process, McCloskey was also able to see a variety of signs made by the shop including wrong way signs, scenic highway markers and seat belt safety signs.

You may be wondering who was better at making signs, ADOT Director John Halikowski or Fox 10's Corey McCloskey? That's a secret we'll never tell, but you can check out the director making signs on the Inside ADOT YouTube page and get McCloskey's take on his visit.

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

It’s a big weekend for concerts in Phoenix.

Metallica, Neil Diamond and Ed Sheeran will visit the Valley today and Saturday. Aug. 4 and 5. And because we like to time some of our quirky safety messages with pop culture or current events – remember this Adele message? – many of our dynamic message signs around the state will display music-themed safety messages this weekend.

On Friday, messages referencing hits by Metallica and Neil Diamond will appear. Message boards will rift on an Ed Sheeran chart-topper on Saturday.

Our goal in displaying these safety messages is to engage drivers with important safety messages. We want the messages to spark conversations among drivers and their families, friends, coworkers, classmates and others. With driver decisions behind the rising number of traffic crashes and fatalities, these are messages we all need to hear.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

You may have seen the blue logo signs along state highways, directing drivers to services and attractions like restaurants and gas stations. The signs help generate additional funds to maintain Arizona highways.

As you'll see in the video above, business owners say these signs bring customers in their doors every day. They also like that their advertising dollars go back into the community to improve state highways.

The Grand Canyon State Logo Sign program adds about $2.2 million into the state highway fund each year.

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

For many people, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to take time out and show someone close how much they’re loved.

At the Arizona Department of Transportation, we can’t think of a better way to show those closest to us how much they’re cared for than by choosing to engage in unselfish driving decisions that make roads safer. Whether the people closest to you are in the passenger seat, back seat or another vehicle, choose not to speed, drive aggressively, impaired or distracted, and make sure everyone is always buckled up.

In an effort to make that connection, many overhead highways signs statewide will display the following safety message, “Take it slow on Valentine’s Day, obey speed limit.”

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

Wouldn't we all like to see our boss do our job for a day? Well, that happened recently when ADOT Director John Halikowski visited ADOT's sign shop to make and then install highways signs.

The video above gives you (and ADOT employees) a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making and installing signs – and into a continuous-improvement technique known as a Gemba Walk, drawn from a Japanese term meaning going where work is done.

As we noted in a story about the director's visit, Gemba Walks allow leaders to not only better understand how work is performed but make employees part of examining roles and processes. Answering Governor Doug Ducey’s call for agencies to continuously improve their value to the state, this is something all ADOT leaders do, starting with the person atop the organizational chart.