If you’ve traveled on a highway in the US, you’ve no doubt noticed an abundance of helpful blue signs pointing out things interesting to a motorist: food, lodging/camping, fuel, and major attractions. In my recent odyssey around the western US, I noticed many of these signs and was curious how one gets them, how much they cost, rules, etc.
Because the signs are officially “traffic control devices,” they’re controlled by the federal and state highway laws. This means there are particulars governing placement, size, and content. In general businesses must be located within three miles of the exit for interstate highways, five miles for state highways. If no services are available or participate, the distance permitted may increase, up to 20 miles in extreme cases. Businesses within 300 feet of an intersection do not qualify. They also must comply with all applicable laws for licensing and the provision of public accommodations without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, or national origin. All must provide a sanitary toilet; drinking water; and access to a public telephone.
- Fuel services must provide fuel, oil, water and tire repair (which can be off-site); and operate at least 16 hours per day, seven days a week, year-round.
- Food services must provide at least two daily meals per day, six days a week; indoor seating for 20 people, parking for 10 vehicles.
- Lodging services must have at least ten units (B&Bs exempt); provide adequate sleeping accommodations available without reservation.
- 24-hour Pharmacy must be open 24/7 with a state-licensed pharmacist on duty
- Camping services must provide adequate parking accommodations and spaces available without reservation.
- Tourist Attractions must qualify as one of the following:
- Historic district on the National Register of Historic Places (or equivalent).
- Natural, recreational, historical, cultural, education, or unique activity where most of the participants do not reside in the area.
- a commercial district of at least a million square feet within one square mile, where most of the customers do not reside in the area.
The big blue signs with corporate logos you see on the interstate are called Interstate Logo Boards, and let you know that a facility (fuel, food, lodging, camping, tourist attraction) is accessible if you take that exit. The signs are limited to six logos on the theory that motorists whizzing by can only comprehend that much information. When one participant drops out, another may participate.
The space for a sign on the interstate logo board costs about $900/year, but varies by state and location within state. For example, Oregon charges $400/year for signs on I-5, and less for signs on less frequented areas. This is for one direction only, e.g., a business will probably want signs for east and west I-90.
Trailblazing signs are used when a business is not located at a freeway intersection. For example, when I was driving back through Oregon, the services in the town of Kaizer were located about a mile and a half off the freeway. This is a case where you’ll want to have signs so motorists don’t get discouraged and continue on to the next town.
Costs for the trailblazing sign space averages about $400/year. For less popular routes, this can be as low as $200/year.
The sign cost is in addition to the rent. I’ve found they run about $500, depending on the quantity, complexity and number of colors. There are guidelines like “keep it brief,” use a simple font, no contact information (web, email, phone, mailing address).
The appeal to business is obvious — these signs direct motorists to their businesses, sign placement is right where motorists are looking, and this is an inexpensive alternative to billboards.
For comparison, a billboard costs about $1,000 a month (three month minimum) for the space visible from the highway. Costs will increase or decrease depending on demand. A billboard in Times Square could run upwards of $100,000, whereas a sign outside of Fernley, NV, would be substantially less. When I worked at Oracle, Sybase rented out the billboard on US 101 just outside of Oracle’s headquarters, allegedly for $20,000 a month. (Other Bay Area Billboard stories)
Production fees for the graphics are approximately $2.00 per square foot (in 2004), or about $1,344 for a standard 14′ x 48′ billboard.