New York Settles With Federal Officials Over Cuomo's Illegal Highway Tourism Signs

The New York Transportation Department has reached an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration over a highway tourism campaign, two days before the state would have forfeited millions of dollars in funding.

The two agencies have butted heads over the 514 highway signs for 5 years, because the large blue tourism-related signs violate federal highway regulations.

However, on Friday evening, state and federal officials announced that they will work together on a new project to allow the signs. Both parties declined to comment further, but New York is no longer at risk of losing $14 million in federal highway funding. For the time being, the signs will stay up, too.

The signs, part of an $8 million tourism campaign, are chock full of logos and slogans. 

Federal officials sent a letter to the state complaining that the signs don't conform to national guidelines for highway signs. In addition, they said, the signs are mounted in a way that "could pose a risk to safety."

The signs first went up in 2013. Each one costs $15,000.

The state has argued the signs are a vital part of boosting tourism in New York.

The governor's office and the State Highway Department of Transportation declined to comment. An official with the Federal Highway Administration said talks are ongoing to resolve the issue, but didn't say whether that meant an extension or the state would modify the signs or take that down.