Arizona Department of Transportation

Interstate 19: Interstate 10 to the Arizona/Mexico Border

Signage Replacement Program Fact Sheet

Project Overview
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is proposing replacement of 400 signs along Interstate 19,
from its junction with Interstate 10 to its end at the Mexico border. ADOT continually reviews signage along
roadways and places replacement priorities on areas where signage is aging; ADOT has determined that
signage replacement along I-19 is a safety priority. The I-19 corridor is 63 miles, or 100 kilometers, in length
and includes Tucson, Green Valley, Sahuarita, Rio Rico, Tubac, Nogales, and Pima and Santa Cruz counties;
South Tucson, Patagonia and Sonoita are not within the corridor, but may be reached by using I-19.

Funding
Federal funds of $1.5 million are being provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA). This project must be under way in March 2010 or the project will lose this funding. The timeline
regarding availability of state funding for the project in the future is currently uncertain. If not used for this
project, the designated ARRA funding will be assigned to the next statewide project on the list, as determined
and voted upon by the State Transportation Board in 2009.

Safety Standards
ADOT is required to replace these signs according to highway safety standards and requirements, which
determine how bright the sign is at night using only the driver’s headlights (the minimum retroreflectivity value).
The signs on I-19 have served their useful life and are being replaced on a schedule ADOT has developed
based on the age of the signs and the material that was used to make the existing signs.

Exit Numbers
The change from signing in kilometers to miles will change exit numbers; however, all exit street names will
remain the same. ADOT proposes to sign the exits using the mile system combined with the old exit numbers
for a period of two years to assist those businesses, organizations, drivers and the community who are more
used to the old exit numbers. ADOT believes that will give those affected enough time to update directions and
promotional materials. Additionally, with the growth that is occurring along the corridor, maps will become
outdated within that timeframe and will need revision, allowing for the new exit numbers to be incorporated.

History
The original signs using miles were replaced with the metric system signs in 1980, when the federal
government was considering using metric signage across the country. At that time, ADOT received many
complaints. ADOT has continued to receive complaints from motorists who are more familiar with miles than
they are with kilometers. When ADOT proposed to replace the signage in 2009 using the mileage system,
concerned businesses, residents and stakeholders within the corridor spoke out regarding the change from
kilometers to miles.

Public Input
Before moving forward with the project, ADOT is gathering input from residents, business owners and
community leaders within the corridor to better understand possible impacts and concerns. To gather
information from a wide variety of sources, ADOT is using an independent, third-party research firm to conduct
statistically valid, random surveys of the potentially impacted population and business communities, a Web site
with an online comment form, and interviews with governmental officials and stakeholders during January
2010. A report of all input received will be compiled in February 2010. This report will be reviewed by ADOT
management to determine how best to move forward with the project. A decision is expected to be made by
March 2010.

Contact Information
Please contact Angie Brown, ADOT Consultant, at 520-327-6077 or angie@gordleydesign.com, with any
questions, comments or concerns. For media inquiries, please call 800-949-8057.

www.azdot.gov/i19signage