Come along for the ride as ‘M’ monument is moved to its new home

It was the middle of the night while most of Maricopa was asleep.

Crews carefully moved the script “M” monument, a long-awaited icon, onto a flatbed truck at about 1:30 a.m. and made the slow journey along John Wayne Parkway to its resting place in the median of State Route 347 on the northern edge of the city.

Along for the journey was our extraordinary videographer, Bryan Mordt.

Mordt captured the process on video step-by-step, from lifting the 14-foot tall, 20-foot-wide structure off the truck via crane to its placement on its three-column foundation and finally crews welding it into place.

The four-hour project was completed by 5:30 a.m., ahead of the bulk of morning rush-hour traffic.

The distinctive monument is a source of civic pride that welcomes drivers from the nouth to the rapidly growing community that we call home.