Back in 2001, tired of government inaction, an artist in Los Angeles crafted and installed a perfect fake sign to fix a confusing highway interchange, helping millions of drivers before state officials caught on.

There are two things to know about the 110 freeway. It’s one of the oldest in the country, meaning it wasn’t made for today’s world. And the way other highways were built up around it in the decades since created an incredibly busy and confusing interchange in downtown LA.

One example is the connection to I5. Despite its importance—I5 runs from Mexico to Canada along the entire west coast—getting on it from the 110 meant spotting an abrupt single lane tucked on the left side at the end of a tunnel. The signage didn’t give nearly enough warning, and in the era before GPS, people always missed the exit.

One of those drivers was an artist named Richard Ankrom. Eventually, he decided to make his own sign for I5 that met state and federal standards. In broad daylight, he installed his perfect fake on an existing sign two miles ahead of the exit.

It took months for state officials to catch on—but impressed with his work, they left it in place, eventually immortalizing his work when the whole sign had to be replaced.

See the short documentary Richard made about the project here →    • Guerrilla Public Service 2011  

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