A "wide range of opinions" has prompted the Arizona Department of Transportation to indefinitely postpone a plan to replace metric signs along Interstate 19.
Since ADOT asked for public input in mid-January, there has been an overwhelming response from people with an interest in whether to convert the exit and distance signs from kilometers to miles, put up signs up with both measurements, or leave up the existing metric signs, agency spokeswoman Linda Ritter said.
"Some people really wanted the kilometer signs (to stay up), and some people really felt it was better to have the mileage signs," Ritter said. "We solicited the info, so we were really interested in hearing what people had to say."
ADOT had earmarked $1.5 million in federal stimulus funds for the project. But because the agency needed to officially implement the project by Tuesday of this week to avoid losing the funding, officials allocated the money to another project, Ritter said.
People are also reading…
Those funds will now be used for pavement preservation on Interstate 10 between South Houghton Road and the freeway's junction with Arizona 83. Work on that project, similar to one recently done on I-10 from Houghton to South Rita Road, is expected to begin shortly, Ritter said.
Since early 2008, ADOT has discussed replacing the metric signs along I-19. They were put up in the 1970s as part of a pilot program when the U.S. was considering converting to the metric system.
In January, the state agency created a hot line and a Web site meant to solicit public input on the project, which at the time would have involved putting up new signs listing mile markers but also keeping existing kilometer-based signs up to allow businesses along the route to adjust to the change.
ADOT is continuing to receive and evaluate information from residents and businesses along the I-19 corridor, and when a decision is made to go through with the project, the agency will seek another federal funding source, Ritter said.
The I-19 signs ultimately need to be replaced, she said, because they're losing their reflectivity as they get older, and they no longer meet federal standards for highway signs. "Replacement of those signs is a safety issue," she said.
Contact reporter Brian J. Pedersen at bjp@azstarnet.com or call 573-4224.
