Wilmington, DE (AP) — A highway sign that recently went up in Delaware was noticeably missing a letter in the state’s name.
The new Wilmington exit sign on Interstate 95 should have said “Delaware Ave” but was misspelled as “Delware,” The News Journal reports.
Delaware’s transportation department and its contractor, Kiewit Infrastructure Company, say the sign was always meant to be temporary and has been replaced.
Exit 7 was previously closed for construction. A subcontractor hurriedly made a placeholder sign after learning the permanent one might not arrive in time for when the northbound exit was scheduled to reopen.
Donnie Arant, a Kiewit area manager, told the newspaper that the blunder was discovered after the sign was installed. It was not clear how long the error was up before it was covered Wednesday. The permanent marker was delivered earlier this week, so the one with the missing “a” was switched out.
“The issue has been completely resolved,” Arant wrote in an email.
Some people joked on social media that “Delware” is how locals pronounce the state’s name anyway.
The transportation department poked fun at the misspelling Tuesday saying on Facebook that it was a test for drivers, and those who noticed it passed.
“We were making sure commuters were (asterisk)aware(asterisk) of our signage,” the post said. “Now stop texting and taking photos while driving, and pay attention to the road!”
