Indiana OA Control "Out of Control"

The failure of the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to adequately control outdoor advertising and follow the Highway Beautification Act is risking the Hoosier state $90 million in federal highway funds, reports the Post-Tribune.

The problems found by the Federal Highway Administration include numerous billboards located in areas that are illegal under federal law, and dozens, if not not hundreds, that appear to have been erected without a permit of any kind at all.

State officials believe that it may cost as much as $2.5 million to establish a proper billboard inventory and sort through the problems with lax enforcement of the law. But as the article notes, at a paltry initial permit fee of just $100 for each billboard, the billboard industry itself isn't going to pay for sorting out the mess.