State and Feds Reach Agreement on NY Highway Signs

New York State and federal transportation regulators have reached an agreement allowing the highly contested “I Love NY” highway signs to stay without costing New Yorkers $14 million in highway funding. The Federal Highway Administration had warned the state that the 514 big blue tourism signs along highways from Long Island to Buffalo didn’t adhere to regulations and were distracting to drivers. New York stood to lose federal funding if the dispute wasn’t resolved by month’s end. A spokesman for the federal agency said Friday that New York’s Department of Transportation has reached an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration on a path forward. Governor Cuomo’s office announced late Friday that an agreement to launch “an innovative experimental project” with tourism signage is expected “in the coming months.”