I-19 losing kilometer signs

The Sahuarita Sun

After nearly three decades of complaints from confused motorists, the Interstate 19 kilometer markers will soon be pulled out of the ground for good.

The state transportation board on Tuesday approved $1.5 million to replace the signs on the entire 100-kilometer — or 63-mile — stretch of I-19 from Nogales to Tucson. The funding is part of the federal stimulus package, which provides $521 million to the state for roads and bridges.

The kilometer signs were placed in 1980 as part of a federal experiment with metric conversion, and over the years proved about as popular as the metric system itself. I-19 is the only U.S. interstate marked in metric.

The Arizona Department of Transportation eventually placed mile markers along I-19 in 1998, but set them at a 90-degree angle to the highway so motorists couldn’t easily see them and be confused by the extra markings. Those signs now will be turned so north- and south-bound motorists can see them. The big freeway signs listing distances also will switch over as part of the project, which will undergo a federal review in the next four months and then must be put out for bid.

The interstate starts at the U.S.-Mexico border and is part of the Canamex corridor intended to link Mexico, the U.S. and Canada along a trade route. For years, traffic engineers have heard from drivers and others who are confused by the metric signs, ADOT Tucson District Engineer Greg Gentsch said.

pfranchine@sahuaritasun.com | 547-9738