MDOT Responds After Two Pretty Big Misspellings on Michigan Road Signs

Well, this is embarrassing, isn't it? While the rest of us are laughing and shaking our heads, Michigan officials are hanging their heads in shame (we're just guessing) after news of a couple of misspellings on Michigan road signs went viral yesterday.

We shared the news yesterday after someone spotted a brand new road sign at the entrance to I-96 in Coopersville that erroneously spells 'Grand Rapids' as 'Grand Radips.' (Ope!) And speaking of Coopersville, there's a sign at the next exit which omits the 'S,' leading the way to 'Cooperville.'

Thank you, MDOT, you never let us down. Oh, wait. You're responsible for the roads in Michigan? Let me correct my spelling: You let us down every damn day.

Michigan Department of Transportation Responds to Misspellings

MDOT basically chalks it all up to the fact that we're all human and we all make mistakes. Grand Rapids TV station WZZM spoke with MDOT's Southwest region spokesperson Nick Schirripa about the gaffes.

"We all make mistakes," Schirripa says. "There's no science here, somebody just made a mistake, and it didn't get caught until it was on a post."

He goes on to say that the work to make the signs was done by a contractor and overseen by a consultant, but "there were no MDOT eyes on this project."

Schirripa says the 'Grand Radips' misspelling has been covered up and the old Coopersville signs have gone back up as a temporary fix before the signs can be remade.

He says the new signs should be up in a couple of weeks or so.

Who Pays For These Mistakes?

Schirripa goes on to explain that if the contractors or the fabricators who manufactured the signs are responsible for the errors, they are the ones that get stuck with the cost to remake the signs.

"We're not going to make taxpayers pay for the same sign twice when it's human error," he said.