To get ready for the upcoming holiday season, Way to Go Durham wants to express our gratitude for the City’s Sign and Signal Shop workers and their efforts to keep Durham moving. Key responsibilities of this department include street sign installs, traffic signals, road pavement markings, crosswalk installs, and more. In August, a severe storm abruptly hit the City, knocking out power, uprooting trees, and disrupting the day-to-day operations for much of the community. However, the damage from the storm did not deter our Sign and Signal Shop. They instead accepted the challenge to assess the damages, implement road detours, and conduct repairs across the City. For those efforts and their daily operations, we say thank you.
During the storm, the Sign and Signal Shop took the lead on multiple repair projects.
- The storm took out 200 of the City’s 454 traffic signals. The crews repaired each of the damaged traffic signals.
- 50% of the City’s traffic cameras were offline, and the crews worked to get the cameras back online.
- Three traffic signals collapsed into the street and had to be reconstructed by the team.
- The team implemented 40 detours due to flooding, uprooted trees, and created an outlet for power and internet service workers to lead repairs safely.
As a team, our crew worked 16-hour days to ensure they led the charge to get the City back to its normal operations. Three weeks after the storm, all of the repairs across the City were completed. Most importantly, the crew conducted all the repairs without any work injuries, crashes, or serious injuries in active Sign and Signal Shop zones. Below is the list of the 24 staff members responsible for these efforts. 
As part of a tradition to honor the work of our crew, the Department of Transportation recently hosted its annual cookout at the Sign and Signal Shop. The event was full of fellowship with good food, games, and featured transportation staff from each department. 
To the staff of the Sign and Signal Shop, we salute you for your dedication and continued service to keep our city moving even in moments of uncertainty. 