Signmaker takes a wrong turn in 'Albuqueque'
Jul. 30—Interstate 40 drivers — the ones who are good spellers, anyway — likely did a double take recently while passing one road sign at the Sedillo Hill exit.
It aimed motorists toward "Albuqueque" — the city's name was spelled without the R.
Kimberly Gallegos, District 3 public information officer for the Department of Transportation, said the agency fielded calls and emails from people pointing out the typo in the days following the sign's installation.
Her immediate reaction: alert someone to get it fixed as soon as possible.
"I honestly think it's funny," Gallegos said, "but it was just an honest mistake."
The sign's since been replaced, but not before photos of the "Albuqueque" quickly surfaced online, with many people poking fun at the misspelling.
Albuquerque's long history, of course, ebbs and flows with Rs.
The city's original name included an extra "R," according to the city's website. When Spanish colonists first established the city at the banks of the Rio Grande in 1706, the governor chose a name that would honor the Spanish Duke of Alburquerque, a former royal title.
The title originated in reference to a small Spanish town named Alburquerque, which is located to this day in the province of Badajoz.
"Over the centuries, the first "r" was dropped," the website says, "leaving Albuquerque spelled as it is today."
Unless you're a certain signmaker for the DOT.
