Zombies Q13
Drivers on eastbound 520 may have noticed a strange warning from the WSDOT Monday morning. (Photo courtesy q13fox.com)

No zombie sightings despite warning on 520

BY KIRO Radio Staff  on June 25, 2012 @ 9:57 am (Updated: 12:53 pm - 6/25/12 )

There weren't any sightings of reanimated corpses along 520, but there was a warning of "zombie's ahead" on the well-traveled state route Monday morning.

Drivers headed toward Bellevue were greeted with "Warning: Zombies Ahead." According to q13fox.com, the sign also switched to "012 GHS WEOUTCHA YEWB&#$"

Road crews were sent out to change the signs before too long.

It's not entirely clear who or how the signs were tampered with, but Kris Olsen with the Washington State Department of Transportation said it wasn't an easy feat.

"These signs are password protected. So they managed to bypass those security (measures)," she said. "We're going to work with the contractors to make sure to strengthen those security procedures and the passwords to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Olsen said not only does tampering with the signs compromise the safety of drivers and road crews, it's also a felony.

There are no clear suspects, but the theory is that GHS could stand for Garfield High School, with "012" giving credit to the class of 2012.

KIRO Radio Staff, Staff report
Straight from the newsdesk.
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Comments (14)


  • Add A Comment

  • kata wrote...
    how?
    June 25, 2012 11:32 am
    direct the DOT to the nearest interwebs... *lol*
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Aaron in Sammamish wrote...
    What do you mean "weren't any sightings?"
    June 25, 2012 11:34 am
    I saw those DOT contractors all over the place! Ok-ok-ok... That was mean.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Dark Jedi wrote...
    Passwords
    June 25, 2012 12:05 pm
    Passwords are usually so simple or easy to guess it doesn't shock me. Try maxing the password out and keeping it very complex.

    Although I am surprised it is a felony. So you can drink and drive and you don't get a felony. Alter a digital sign, and you get a felony. Seriously... we need to re-think a few laws punishments.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Birdie wrote...
    A common password
    June 25, 2012 12:06 pm
    Anyone with a connection to the internet and a penchant for mischief can learn the default password for those signs and cause havoc :) Hilarious to see it actually used, especially on such a popular route!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sghouse wrote...
    calling out the perps....
    June 25, 2012 12:09 pm
    ..Zombies Ahead -- Really? That's the best you could come up with?

    Zombie references everywhere you turn these days is getting old fast.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 2shbag wrote...
    ROAD 'CREWS'
    June 25, 2012 1:16 pm
    I love it. One high school kid can hack one raod sign but it takes an entire ROAD CREW to come out and change it!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    Wrong kind of 'zombies'.
    June 25, 2012 1:55 pm
    WADOT ? Hwy 520 ?

    Cocktail time ! Bacartti 151 !!!

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cybermatrix24 wrote...
    Drunks....
    June 25, 2012 1:57 pm
    Maybe they were referring to all the drunk workers on the 520 project as being the "zombies"
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    Shouldn't the sign
    June 25, 2012 2:24 pm
    be facing the OTHER direction?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Zombies and vampires. What a country.
    June 25, 2012 2:34 pm
    Can we all just go back to ignoring such crap, pleeeez.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }