The Michigan Department of Transportation has decided to change signs positioned at a popular road located in the northern Lower Peninsula of the state.
The highway is said to be a renowned vacation spot, consisting of counties namely Leelanau, Benzie and Manistee. James Lake, the spokesperson for the department, revealed that sign thefts usually take place in Leelanau, where vineyards, beaches and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are located.
State officials came to a decision to change the road signs from M-22 to signs that are simply marked "22." They hope that the new road signs will finally put a stop to the thefts and force thieves to go someplace else.
State hopes ’22’ highway sign won’t be as coveted as M-22: Thieves have been stealing highway signs that mark... https://t.co/cMngEOhtg2
— West Michigan News (@WMNewsLive) August 24, 2016
Lake says that not a single sign out of the 90 signs replaced by crews for the past three years have been stolen. He adds that they have no plans to completely replace all signs marked M-22, only those that were taken by the thieves, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Around $325 was spent in creating and installing the replacement signs that contained "22," and for those who are interested in purchasing M-22 merchandise can go to retailer shops around the area. "It's certainly a popular route for travelers and there are some companies marketing M-22 signs themselves and other memorabilia and that seems to factor into their popularity," Lake said, according to the Traverse City Record Eagle.
"We hope people would understand our interest in protecting taxpayer investments in protecting these signs." The 116-mile M-22 highway is considered to be one of the most scenic drives in the United States where visitors and passer-by can view fall shrubbery.
The owner of the Sleeping Bear Surf and Kayak in Empire Beryl Skrocki simply laughed off claims of sign thefts and replacements in her area. "I think it's awful our tax dollars have to pay for it, but I don't think it will affect anybody finding their way about," she said.
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