'Fork in the Road' Is Gone, But Nationwide Fame is Still Being Served Up

Someone at Carlsbad City Hall took Yogi Berra’s advice literally: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” But the city lacked the baseball sage’s sense of humor.

Twenty-four hours after it was planted, gaining national fame, a 6-foot-high fork on the island between Levante Street and Anillo Way was removed.

It took 14 planks of wood, glue, chrome-colored spray paint and several months of work for a longtime Carlsbad resident to create the fork he’s had in his mind for 30 years.

The fork went up Tuesday morning, created by a retiree who asked to remain anonymous.

“Shortly after buying my home, whenever I’d give friends directions to my house, I’d tell them to turn right at fork in the road,” the retiree told Patch. “Then in late 70’s The Muppet Movie came out and they had a giant fork stuck in the road. I wanted to do it ever since. This year I retired as high school math and physics teacher and I had time to do construction."

“Every response I saw and heard about was positive; people got a big kick out of it. Everyone was disappointed when the city tore it down 24 hours later—at least a few people got to enjoy it and take some photos.”

Carlsbad resident Jim Grant was one of those people who saw the fork and snapped a picture of it. He posted it on CNN iReport, and it later gained local and national media attention.

According to iReport, city officials released the following statement, “Although the fork in the road remains, the literal fork was removed this morning. We appreciate the creativity, but it’s not legal or safe to put objects like this on public streets or medians.”

The creator said he “had no idea it would get so much attention” but will now focus his time on other hobbies like continuing to volunteer in the community.