UDOT street traffic sign in Salt Lake hacked, changed to explicit message

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A traffic message in Salt Lake City was changed to include a vulgar message about torturing a man's private parts, catching the attention of at least one unsuspecting driver earlier this week.

"I was like get my phone out, take it, take a video, I have to show everybody this. I can't believe it says it," said Shyla Ashworth, who saw the sign.

The electronic traffic sign was located on State Street near 7200 South at 2:30 a.m. on Monday.

"It's bad and it's technically vandalism but I think it was kind of funny and as far as pranks go that one seems pretty harmless," Ashworth said.

Mitch Shaw, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), said the messaging is ultimately their responsibility.

UDOT hired Staker Parson to work on a road paving project in the area. The contractor was in supposed to be in control of the sign during the project.

Request for comment from Staker Parson were not returned Wednesday evening.

While this seems to be a prank, Shaw said unapproved changing of traffic messaging signs can pose a threat to drivers if inaccurate instructions are displayed.

"We don’t want people messing with our signs, we have the signs out there for a reason," Shaw said.

It's unclear exactly who changed the message or how, but Shaw said changing it happens on the unit, which is locked and password protected.

Asked if a lock and password is enough of a deterrent Shas said, "Apparently in this case it wasn’t. There could be more vigilance on our part always but in most cases I would say generally a lock and a protected password would do the job."

UDOT has spoken to the contractor and they're changing the password and will more closely monitor the sign.

"Ultimately the buck stops with UDOT so it’s our project," Shaw said.

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