This Memorial Day weekend, travelers driving into Missouri will be treated to upgraded welcome signs. The old signs, which were screenprinted and had begun to significantly fade after 20 years in service, will be replaced by 8 x 4-ft. or 12 x 6-ft. signage the employs 3M’s high-intensity, prismatic sheeting. Melissa Black, the Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) outreach coordinator, said the new signs, which have in the works for approximately 18 months, measure 2 ft. wider and taller, and feature reflective sheeting on structural panels as well as flat sign surfaces.
The new sign program will replace 66 panels throughout the state, 14 of which occupy interstates and will be installed during Memorial Day weekend. The others will follow over the next year. She said the signs cost $570 apiece for the smaller signs, and $1,200 each for the larger version, and will be installed at a total, state-subsidized cost of $110,000. MoDOT and the state’s Division of Tourism collaborated on developing the logo. The design features stylized “s”es that form a crooked river bend, homage to the Mississippi River and its prominent role in forging the Show Me State’s history.