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Feds: NY State Could Lose $14M In Funding Over Highway Signs

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas
Published February 1, 2018 at 3:36 PM EST

The hundreds of tourism signs the Cuomo administration installed along New York's highways could wind up costing the state $14 million in federal funding.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration sent a letter Thursday to New York transportation officials saying the state stands to lose the funding for failing to remove the 500-plus signs.

The state spent more than $8 million to create and install the "I Love NY" signs in recent years. Federal officials told Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to remove them because they were unsafe, but he refused.

DOT officials say the signs are safe and they'll continue to work with FHA on a resolution to the issue.

FHA officials say the funding will be reinstated if the state complies with sign regulations by Sept. 30.

© 2018 AP
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New York News TourismNew York Governor Andrew CuomoDOTFHA
Dave Lucas
Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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