SCDOT Takes Positive Steps to Address Nonconforming Billboards on I-95, I-26
August 5, 2009
COLUMBIA, SC – August 4, 2009 – Old, unsightly billboards can be removed or improved along Interstates 95 and 26 in South Carolina under a new pilot project at the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT).
The SC General Assembly and the Federal Highway Administration have given SCDOT the approval to move forward with the pilot project, which will allow the upgrading of certain nonconforming billboards along Interstates 26 and 95 in exchange for the permanent removal of others (on a ratio of 2 to 4 removals per 1 upgrade, depending on the size of sign being removed).
“Current federal and state laws limit the amount of maintenance that can occur on a non-conforming billboard,” said Keith Melvin, SCDOT Director of Outdoor Advertising. “Over the years the result has been the continued life of numerous old unsightly large wooden billboards on some of our most traveled roadways. With tourism so critical to South Carolina’s economy, it is important to provide visitors with the best impression of our state.”
Melvin said the pilot project may be the only chance for the state to replace the old non-conforming billboards with modern structures while reducing the number of nonconforming billboards within the state.
Mechanical changeable message billboards, LED (Light Emitting Diode) or digital billboards are not part of the pilot project.
The effective start date of the pilot project is August 3, 2009, and it is expected to run for a three-year period. Melvin welcomes the participation of all permit holders with billboards located on I-95 and I-26.
Nonconforming wooden structures or steel I-beam structures on I-26 or I-95 with billboard face square footage of 350 square feet or more and nonconforming billboards are eligible for removal on the National Highway System (NHS) routes. Interested owners are asked to contact the Outdoor Advertising Office for a review of their billboards. There is no limit on the number of billboards that an owner may place in the pilot project. The billboards being removed are not limited to I-26 and I-95 however; the billboards being upgraded must be on those routes. “We are very excited about the results that this pilot project can bring to the state,” said Melvin.
Upgrade is defined as:
(1) Changing out wooded or I-beam steel support poles and replacing them with a steel monopole on I-26 or I-95;
(2) Changing the upgraded billboard face to a single face, single face back to back or a single face V structure of 672 square feet or less.
Details of the pilot project are available at http://www.scdot.org/doing/ODAS.shtml
