At about 3am on the morning of January 16, 2024, a highway sign was knocked down. The timestamp was noted as it is visible from my home security cameras. After noticing the sign on the side of the highway, I checked the camera and found the minute when the sign went from being a sign to trash on the side of the highway.
I looked on my city’s web site and found a form to report “Street Sign Down or Missing” via a web site called publicstuff.com. I filled out the form and thought that would be the end of it. The publicstuff.com web site sent me two more updates. The first was to tell me that a sign tech had been dispatched and the second informed me that it was not a city sign. I even got a “Great news!” email from the city letting me know of “Issue Completed”.
Back on the Public Stuff website I was given further instructions not in the email. I was told to contact the county. Now, why didn’t the city just do that for me? So I waited until the next business day and called the number for the county TxDOT. A nice person answered my call and took down the message. I was asked for the type of sign and its location.
Then nothing happened.
It has been nearly a year since this sign fell down. In that time the grass has grown and been mowed down. This means that some had to actively get down off a tractor to move the sign lest it damage their mower.
This has left the sign in various locations and position. The pole remain attached somehow.
I have called the county again. In April. In July. And again as the year anniversary approaches. We’ll see if this make any difference this time.
If not, my next thought is to part on the side of the Interstate, hike down, and drag the sign up to the shoulder. Maybe that will get someone’s attention.