Southern Clark County stop signs are going to the birds…literally.
The county received a grant in 2006 to put up 650 'stop' and 'stop ahead' signs. But, crews have noticed a lot of damage to 40 of the new signs in the southern part of the county. The top three to six inches have been peeled, leaving the sticky adhesive behind.
Clark County Highway Commissioner Randy Anderson says the prevailing theory was some sort of chemical reaction was causing the damage, but crews set up cameras and caught the real culprit. It turns out blue jays were landing on the signs and tearing them apart. The signs feature diamond prismatic sheeting that is much easier to see at night, but Anderson says the sheeting apparently is also attracting the jays.
Inexplicably, it's only affecting signs in southern Clark County. No other counties have reported problems, and new signs erected in northern Clark County haven't been damaged.
AUDIO: Paul Knoff reports (MP3 :57)
