BOISE, Idaho — Dozens of road signs line every street, but most drivers never think twice about where they come from. Inside the Ada County Highway District's sign shop, an 8-person crew builds about 3,500 custom signs each year — and installs around 10,000 signs annually across Ada County.
Aaron Katchmar leads the team, which has ramped up production in recent years.
WATCH: See how street signs across Ada County are created
Since moving into a larger facility in the spring of 2025, the crew said the extra space has made a real difference.
"It definitely has made us more efficient. We have more space for cutting and applying the material so we can get more bodies in here and make a lot more signs," Katchmar, the crew chief of the sign shop, said.
Each team member is responsible for a different area of Ada County, regularly checking the condition of signs already on the road. Years of sun exposure can take a serious toll.
"If it's got a lot of shade, it can last 20 to 30 years. If it's got a lot of sun, it can go in 6 to 7 years," Katchmar said.
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Crews also encounter signs covered in stickers or pierced by bullets.
"[That] is why we have to actually do maintenance because it's not always the sun that is our enemy," Katchmar said.
A faded or unreadable sign is more than an eyesore — it can become a safety hazard.
"If a sign's up and it's not visible or reflective, it's pretty hard to know what, what it's informing you of, if it's a warning sign or a regulatory sign or even an information sign like a street name sign," Katchmar said.
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The sign-making process begins with a printer that lays out the design, with crews maximizing each sheet of material.
"We can usually get four going this direction. So that way we we utilize most of the material," Katchmar said.
After printing, crews remove — or "weed" — every piece of material that isn't part of the final design.
"So you just take a tool and cut it out," Katchmar said.
The remaining vinyl is then pressed onto a reflective metal blank, making the finished sign easier for drivers to see after dark.
ACHD installs about 10,000 signs each year — both custom-made and standard signs — while maintaining more than 500,000 signs across Ada County.
If you spot a street sign that is damaged, missing, or knocked down, you can report it using the ACHD website.
