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The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is conducting a new experiment that aims to make highway travel a little safer and less confusing.
Crews have installed new road signs, but they're not the kind you're accustomed to seeing here in Utah.
I-80 East is tough to miss when it's bright, big and colorful. "It's a little bit more reflective. People will be able to see it better at night," said UDOT spokesman Adan Carrillo
The road signs are just the latest effort from UDOT to make highway travel a little more convenient, especially for travelers from out of state.
"They're not familiar with our highway system. They want to make sure that they make the right decision so they don't have to turn around. We just decided to increase the signage in that area to help them out that way," Carrillo explained.
These signs in the eastbound lanes of I-80 near 1200 West are the first of their kind in Utah. They were installed last week, but mostly as an experiment.
UDOT wants to make sure the road paint can make it through one of Utah's tough winters. If it does, you can expect to see more or these signs across the state.
"It just increases the visibility of the sign that's out there. A lot of people, when they're driving, they're not really paying attention to either speed limits or signage," Carrillo said.
The signs are made from a special paint -- one that is more visible, more durable and maintains strong traction in wet conditions.
UDOT says if the current signs are successful, they'll be used to give a variety of instructions. "We can post speed limits. We can post sharp curve ahead. We can post school zones," Carrillo said.
And it's all in the interest of public safety.
The signs will be used in addition to already existing road signs. For more information, click the related links to the right of the story.
E-mail: wjohnson@ksl.com
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com
