State, Federal Officials To Discuss Removal Of 'I Love NY' Signs
ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Officials with the Federal Highway Administration and the New York State Department of Transportation will meet next month to discuss the removal of more than 500 "I Love NY'' signs from the state's roadways.
Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau will meet with DOT Commissioner Matt Driscoll at the FHA's Washington office sometime in December to formulate a plan for taking down the signs.
Six signs have already been removed on Long Island's East End, following a flurry of complaints, WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported.
"These were New York State Thruway, Long Island Expressway-sized signs on a two-lane road," East Hampton supervisor Larry Cantwell said.
Their demands caught the attention of the federal government. A spokesman said federal officials were initially unaware that New York had gone ahead with its plan to install 515 signs along state roads at a cost of $1.67 million.
The FHA has threatened to cut nearly $1 billion in federal funding to the state if the signs aren't removed.
"The state would be better off directing the funds that they otherwise spent on this to other ways of promoting tourism throughout the state," Cantwell said.
FHA officials say the signs don't conform to federal standards and are dangerous because they contain so much information that drivers can become distracted
State officials have long contended that the signs help promote tourism and provide valuable information about New York's attractions.
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