DailyTrib.com reports that the Texas Department of Transportation is considering a proposal to increase the permitted height of billboards from 42.5 feet to 82 feet.  Scenic Texas and the Hill Country Chapter of the ark Night Skies Reserve Committee are fighting the proposal.

Scenic Texas has this legislation action letter posted on its facebook page together with a link with allows people to send the letter to the Texas DOT.

Dear Chairman Lewis and Commissioners Austin, Bugg, Ryan and Vandergriff:

I ask that you honor Senator Nichols’ and Watson’s intent and not allow all billboards in Texas to exceed TxDoT’s current 42.5-foot height limitation—indeed, that is nearly five stories tall. I do not want to see ten story tall billboards along our public highways.

It is clear from their conversation on the senate floor and from their August 10, 2017 letter to you, that the Senators targeted the billboards that were in litigation over height as of March 1, 2017. I understand there to be about 150 billboards they were concerned about; and not the thousands of others that stand along our highways. Several years ago, your agency was concerned about allowing billboards to be raised to 65 feet so this proposal to allow them to go up to 85 feet should be summarily dismissed for the same reasons you had then: Texas Highway beauty and driver safety.

TxDOT is legislatively mandated to effectively regulate the billboard industry. I ask that you follow that mandate, that you honor the intentions of the Senate Bill authors, and that you take no actions that would permanently mar the beauty of our State and compromise the safety of our highways.

Thank you for considering my comments.

Sincerely,

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