Signs are everywhere on Arizona's state roads! This classic blog tells you how they're made: Aztraffic Arizona phxtraffic
3/26/2019You 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.
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. 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.
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“If we are in a rush and have a lot to do, we can do that,” Phillips said.