In a signage slip-up, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has put drivers on a detour through the alphabet with a mislabeled exit sign pointing to "Ady Mill Road" instead of "Ayd Mill Road" on Interstate 35E. The typo noted on exit 104B, is no mere oversight as it sits juxtaposed with an almost identical sign that boasts the correct spelling of a street named for 19th-century local settler John Ayd. According to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, MnDOT has acknowledged awareness of the erroneous sign and is currently working to correct it, though no definitive timeline has been given for the fix.

The name of Ayd Mill Road has long been a source of confusion, with the city's pronunciation as "eyed" muddling perceptions, yet spelling it correctly should have been a routine check for MnDOT, coming off the back of a similar blunder last year when the town of Ogilvie was misspelled as "Oglivie." As revealed by MPR News, a quick patch-up has been promised by the department, which has had its share of typographical turbulence.

With errors in public signage rarely going unnoticed, the community often reacts with a mix of humor and frustration. While some locals might find the mix-up mildly amusing, it also serves to highlight the attention to detail—or the lack thereof—within state departments tasked with guiding us smoothly on our way. MnDOT has not provided comment on whether there will be a review of processes following this incident, but St. Paul residents will certainly be keeping a watchful eye on both signs and spellings from here on out.

John Ayd, having built a house and mill in the area in the 1800s, lends his name to this road, yet MnDOT has temporarily renamed this avenue of history with its misspelling. MnDOT has stated that they "will correct the error," but for the moment, the legacy of John Ayd has been amusing, if not slightly confusingly, spelled "Ady."