LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Caltrans Uses Razor Wire to Combat Vandalism

Menacing razor wire being strung around Southern California freeway signs is aimed at keeping graffiti vandals at bay.

“It wasn’t our first choice,” said Pat Reid of the California Department of Transportation. “But we get a lot of calls from people about the graffiti. They don’t want us to look like New York City.”

Coiling wire around overhead freeway signs, at about $1,000 per sign, is “a last-ditch effort to protect the public’s investment” against tagger damage, said Reid.

Eighty-five percent of all California freeway graffiti are in Los Angeles County.

“The public wants something done. They call here and say: ‘Do something!’ ” the Caltrans spokeswoman said.

So far, Caltrans workers have wrapped the poles and borders of about 200 signs in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Caltrans crews have been concentrating on trouble spots during the installation program.