Spelling mistake quickly corrected on Houston freeway exit sign

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Sunday, April 25, 2021
Spelling mistake on freeway exit sign turns heads, TxDOT plans quick fix
A new sign on Houston's North Freeway was missing a letter when it was first placed. Fortunately, TxDOT officials quickly corrected the mistake.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Roadway officials have corrected a misspelled exit sign that was said to have been on a busy freeway in north Houston for weeks.

Speedy work, TxDOT! A sign on Houston's North Freeway has been replaced after street's name was misspelled for weeks.

The sign that once read "Arline" on the northbound exit 53 on the North Freeway near Crosstimbers Road has now been updated with the corrected spelling of the street.

Commuters in the area said that the sign on I-45 for the Airline Drive exit was missing the letter 'I' for weeks.

RELATED: Stop sign near San Diego spelled 'STPO'

TxDOT officials said Saturday they were made aware of the error and workers were able to correct the erroneous sign Saturday night.

A spokesperson for TxDOT told ABC13 they were not sure who was responsible for the mistake, but they were investigating how procedures meant to ensure accuracy failed in this case.

FROM 2015: Freeway sign features embarrassing spelling error

TxDOT, the state's massive transportation agency, regulates and maintains hundreds of thousands of signs of all sizes along interstate, U.S. and state highways.

There have been similar mistakes in the past, including a 2020 error when sign makers flipped two letters on a Guadalupe River sign near Cuero, spelling it "Gaudalupe."

"Nice new bridge in Cuero," James Keith wrote on Twitter at the time. "Can you find the one mistake?"

TxDOT's social media team was happy to answer Keith's inquiry in good humor.

"Thank u fer brengin this too our attension," the agency tweeted. "Were gunna fix it as soon as posibul!"

Officials said they welcome the traveling public to let them know if they see issues with highway signs.