Campbell County missing more road signs

By: Sarah Watson | The News & Advance
Published: May 06, 2009

Campbell County recently has seen an uptick in the number of missing street name signs.

So far this fiscal year, which began in July, the county has had to replace 111 of them; last fiscal year the county replaced a total of 86, said Dale Woods, geographic information systems manager.

The average cost to replace the signs, which have to meet certain size and reflectivity requirements, is $200. The signs label street names and help with navigation.

The county hires an outside contractor to make the signs and put them up. While the most recent contract costs less money, said public works director Clif Tweedy, the replacement increases led to supervisors approving the addition of $7,000 into the account for highway work.

There are two major causes why the signs have to be replaced, Tweedy said. “Running over and being stolen are the two biggest. I don’t know if they are just ending up in people’s bedrooms.”

Woods said some of the sign replacements are from vehicle accidents or a truck cutting the corner a little close. Area residents call to report them missing, and also building inspectors notify the county if they see something amiss when out on the job, Woods said.

Rustburg Supervisor Hugh Pendleton said he thought many of the signs are being knocked over on purpose.

“When you walk up and see the post laying over, it’s got to be vandalism and it’s costing the taxpayers money to replace them. It’s unnecessary and it irks the heck out of me,” he said.

“We might want to solicit some assistance from the sheriff’s department to help capture some of these dudes.”