A new approach to thwart taggers who target highway signs is being tried by the state's department of transportation.
Aluminum sheets called "graffiti shields," which extend 2 1/2 feet to cover the top and sides of freeway signs have gone up in two Southern Arizona locations, said Dustin Krugel, an Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman.
"It's physically not possible to wrap around and try to spray on it," he said.
The first shield was installed in mid-September on signs that hang off the West Drexel Road bridge that crosses Interstate 19, Krugel said. A short while later, a second shield went up on Interstate 10 near East Guadalupe Road near Tempe.
The two locations were chosen to test the guards, built in-house by ADOT workers, because they are frequently hit by taggers.
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ADOT coats its signs with an anti-graffiti film, but every so often the coating has to be reapplied due to wear and tear, he said.
"We think that this potentially could save us some money in the long run because we don't have to replace the signs as often," Krugel said.
When repair work has to be done to the signs, roads have to be closed so the signs can be taken down and put back up. Closures typically cost the department more than $5,000, Krugel said.
The department hopes the new guards will mean fewer road closures and less inconvenience for drivers, Krugel said.
So far, in the few months the shields have gone up, ADOT hasn't received any reports of graffiti in those areas, he said.
If the project continues to be successful, graffiti guards could go up in other areas.
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Contact reporter Veronica Cruz at vcruz@azstarnet.com or 573-4224.
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