Small Aircraft
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 6; Flight Crew Total 6556; Flight Crew Type 4500
Confusion; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Ground Excursion Taxiway; No Specific Anomaly Occurred Unwanted Situation
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Airport; Human Factors
In being given instruction to taxi from Ramp 1 to Runway 7R; the instructions were to enter Delta taxiway to [Taxiway] D4 then to C3 and hold short. Taxiway Delta is a newly constructed taxiway with a vehicle roadway just prior to Taxiway Delta. In executing the turn; the vehicle access road was mistaken for Taxiway Delta. Immediately upon realizing this error; I contacted DVT Ground Control and advised them of the situation. I was given the choice of remaining where I was and be re-positioned by ground personnel or taxi around to the north side of the airport via the vehicle access road and proceed normally from the north runway (Runway 7L). While I was deciding; the Ground Controller stated that aircraft had been previously towed on this very road in the past. Bearing this in mind; I chose to taxi around the vehicle access road; ultimately discovering it to be too narrow and resulting to the necessity of ground personnel having to dismantle all the remaining signs; so as to allow me to complete this route and arrive at the [Runway] 7L run-up area; after which I was given instructions to proceed normally to the hangar area on the south field; which occurred without further incident.It should be noted that in reviewing this incident; that the vehicle access road and Taxiway Delta are immediately adjacent to each other and if additional signage were present to further clarify this potential hazard; it would be an important addition to improve safe taxi at this airport.
Light aircraft pilot reported confusing signage at DVT airport led to a taxi deviation down a vehicle roadway.