Caltrans Using 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,” Reid said.