Thought I was seeing things recently when I pulled up to a local stop in Shell Knob, MO and the actual "STOP" sign looked smaller!
We know the recession and subsequent belt-tightening has affected all aspects of spending, including state and county road departments, with tax dollars getting scarce. The transportation department, Mo-Dot in Missouri, I found has the authority to decide what size sign a corner warrants.
On lesser driven roads, which we have many of in the Ozarks, they can place a "low volumn" road sign! The signs may be 24", 30" or 36" wide.
Remember when you were a teen and it was cool to 'liberate' a road sign to decorate the wall of your bedroom? The current trend here in the Ozarks is to use roadsigns for target practice - both shotgun and paintball . The MODOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) estimates that it costs approximately $300 to replace one of those signs. It is not as easy as washing the paint off the sign, because in the process it removes the reflective material to assist night drivers.
As a result of cost savings, we can expect to see more of these smaller signs.
Call Joan for all your Shell Knob & Tablerock Real Estate Needs 417-846-7128
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I know a guy who took a stop sign back in HS and a out of town family, grandmother, mother and 3 little kids died. If you ever see one missing please make sure nobody runs it and call the police right away. You may save a life.