A recent Morning Notes post on ARLnow has resulted in a fake road sign being removed in Arlington.
ARLnow published the photo above, taken along N. Glebe Road near Chain Bridge, on Nov. 5. Though the construction sign in the foreground gets top billing, eagle-eyed readers might have noticed the “Adopt-a-Highway” sign behind it, which says — in the space reserved for the adopting organization — “PLEASE JUST RAISE TAXES.”
Was that strictly a prank, or did a group by that name really sign up, using the name to send a snarky message about the concept of volunteer roadway trash collection.
A regular ARLnow commenter, known as Smiley456, emailed VDOT to ask about it.
“Can you verify if the group mentioned on the Adopt a Highway sign either exists or someone defaced the sign?” Smiley456 asked in an email sent to the agency’s Adopt-a-Highway inbox earlier this month.
The answer that came back, from a VDOT employee, was that it was indeed a prank.
“Upon investigation we found that this current road section is available for adoption via the Adopt-a-Highway program,” the employee said. “The previous permit holder’s sign was vandalized with a look-alike VDOT sticker reading ‘PLEASE JUST RAISE TAXES.’ Currently we have removed this portion of the signage and have an order to remove the former Adopt-a-Highway group’s signage in process.”
“I appreciate you bringing this to my attention and allowing me to investigate and resolve this situation,” the employee added, attaching a photo of the removed portion of the sign.
Those interested in adopting that stretch of Glebe Road can find out more about the Adopt-a-Highway program on VDOT’s website.
Photo (below) via VDOT