The Drive recently put out a video (below) talking about an act of vandalism on a California freeway. This vandalism, however, is the good sort. It’s the type that actually helped many a driver be in the right place for an upcoming exit on an otherwise very confusing stretch of freeway. Richard Ankrom, an artist and sign maker, did what needed to be done and it makes for a great story.

The 110 (yes, you put “the” in front of Southern California freeways) is an outdated stretch of road with way too many cars on it. If you’re traveling north and you’re looking to get on the 5 North, there’s a sign letting you know that you need to be in the left two lanes to make that move. But that wasn’t always the case. Before Ankrom fixed things, the sign would tell you where to be to stay on the 110, move to the 101, or get on the 5 South.

Drivers would easily miss the very tight left-hand exit to get on the 5 North. Ankrom got fed up and decided to fix the problem. Over the course of 3 months, he set to work creating a sign that exactly matched the font and colors used by Cal-Trans. He then added a bit of patina to the sign to age it properly. After that, he donned a high-vis vest, climbed up on the gantry, and put his directional fix in place.

The “vandalism” helped drivers be in the correct lane. There was no more dangerous swerving to try and make it over in time or straight-up just missing the exit. The state didn’t even notice the fix until Ankrom leaked that he had done it. From there, the story went viral, and eventually, Ankrom released a short documentary on the entire project. It’s a fun watch, and I’ve included the video below.