Vehicular Border Crossing Signage

As the wayfinding consultant for this important project executed by the GSA, Apple Designs created a robust digital signage program for the vehicular inspection lanes at over 50 Land Ports of Entry (LPOE) for both the Northern and Southern U.S. borders. The signage conveys advice to the public at queuing locations providing helpful processing, security, and travel information. By developing this dynamic sign program, the GSA supported the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The goal of WHTI is to facilitate entry for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors, while strengthening U.S. border security. This project included the design and specification of LED sign systems, enclosures, software, and communications infrastructure. The bilingual signage system was intended to provide guidance to the public on lane usage as well as general information and important notifications. In addition to universal symbols and pictograms, the northern border Ports of Entry feature French and English text while Spanish and English messaging is provided at southern border sites. The design maintains a consistent display of sign messages at all sites while still allowing for customized enclosures and mounting applications that integrate with the existing architecture at each site. Materials were selected to accommodate environmental conditions specific to each geographic area as well as defining the fabrication process and installation methods to ensure sign longevity and robustness. The system is specified to industry standards to allow the ability for software components from all sites to communicate and operate as a single system. The scope of work included planning, evaluation of existing standards, engineering, and construction administration for new electronic signs and supporting equipment.