This artist helped millions of Los Angeles drivers by creating his own freeway sign

An American artist performed a ‘guerrilla act of public service’ by climbing up and painting a confusing highway sign – benefitting countless drivers. 

Back in 2001, when GPS and sat-nav systems were not in common use, folks driving along the 110 freeway through the LA basin from Long Beach to Pasadena would often find themselves completely missing a turnoff. 

The busy road intersects with several other major freeways including I-5. 

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The busy freeway was a nightmare for motorists

However, the exit to 1-5 North from 110 North is a small tunnel that’s tucked off to the side and pretty easy to miss – not least because there was no clear signage to alert drivers. 

This meant that drivers would often miss their turnoff and add miles onto their journey. 

One such motorist was artist and sign-maker Richard Ankrom, but he realized he was in the position to actually do something about it. 

“I used to live in Orange County and had gotten lost because it wasn’t adequately signed,” he told ABC7. “That’s when it clicked: “I’m a sign guy – I could do this.”

Ankrom set about designing his own sign that would include the ‘Interstate 5’ shield emblem but – crucially – add the word ‘North’.

Creating the sign actually took several months

While that may not sound like the most ambitious of designs, Ankrom wanted to make sure he got it spot-on and spent around three months researching colors, shapes, and typefaces. 

He custom-mixed his own paint to make sure it was an exact match for the existing one and even managed to find the same reflectors used on the legit versions and sweet talk the supplier into letting him have some. 

With the road-sign designed and drawn up, the time came to put it up.

Given that he was technically breaking the law, Ankrom initially decided to don an all-black outfit and put it up during the night.

But he later changed his mind, deciding that he should do it in the middle of the day and dress not unlike a road repairman – in a high-visibility vest and hard hat. Smart.

The plan worked, and it went up without a hitch.

In fact, it worked so well that passing motorists assumed it had been sorted by the California Department of Transportation. 

It wasn’t until Ankrom decided to leak the story to the press that his impressive stunt got out.

Even more impressively, his handiwork stayed in place until 2009 when the California Department of Transportation finally replaced it with its own – that looks an awful lot like the one Ankrom made. 

Not all heroes wear capes – some are in a hard hat and high-visibility vest.

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