The Iowa Department of Transportation tried its hand at poetry, Burma Shave style, and now it’s time for the public to take a turn during a DOT-sponsored contest.

The DOT will sponsor a contest which will determine who will write a fourth new sign series, said Sandra Larson, Ames construction engineer. The contest will be open to residents of Story and surrounding counties and will run from mid-July to early August.

The Burma Shave idea was brought up at a DOT planning meeting for the Interstate 35 project near Ankeny, Larson said.

Successful Burma Shave projects done by the City of Ames in previous years were inspirational, she said.

Three new sign series were put up last Thursday on East 13th Street, South Duff Avenue, and eastbound U.S. Highway 30. The new signs alert motorists to construction zones and suggest alternate routes.

Barbara Bellizi, engineer for the Iowa DOT, helped write the signs on South Duff along with Dakin Schulz, a senior engineering technician and poet.

“The signs are supposed to be cute,” Bellizi said, “but the main reason we made them wasn’t to be cute, but to communicate with people.” Bellizzi said putting signs out where people drive is a good alternative to traditional media.

The response to the new signs has been positive. “We haven’t had anything negative, except for one person who lives on Highway 69 and didn’t want us to encourage more traffic on the road,” Bellizi said.

Bellizi said the contest will be for a generic, safety-conscious message relating to construction on five lines or signs of rhyme. The message will be followed by a sign saying, “Your DOT.”

The DOT is considering putting the winner’s name on a 7th sign, but that hasn’t been decided yet, Bellizzi said.

The winner’s signs will be displayed “in a place of prominence,” Bellizzi said.