Crossroads digital sign: big, bright and finally legal

The digital billboard looms over motorists along Interstate 80 at the Crossroads Travel Center in Bartonsville.

The sign is legal.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has issued a permit for the Crossroads digital billboard in Bartonsville.

The sign, located at the Crossroads Travel Center adjacent to Interstate 80, had been operating without a permit since 2006 by JP Ertle Development LP.
PennDOT initiated an investigation in March when it learned it never issued a permit for the sign.
The department later determined that the sign, if permitted, could only display on-premise advertising. At the time, the sign carried messages from several off-premise advertisers.
At one point PennDOT said it wanted the billboard torn down.
Ertle appealed PennDOT's ruling, and when the Travel Center was sold in 2007, the sign's display changed to only on-premise advertising.
The owners of the billboard will not be fined for either building and operating the sign without a permit or displaying off-premise advertising, according to Ron Young, District 5 press officer for PennDOT.
This, Young said, is because Ertle became compliant within the statutory time frame of notice.
The statutory time frame includes a 30-day notice, Young said, although it's unclear which of several 30-day notices he was referring to. Once Ertle responded with a challenge to the PennDOT notice, the statutory time frame was extended until a ruling might have been rendered or the owner became compliant. And when Ertle complied with the conditions of the permit, it ended the legal action.
Ertle is no longer contesting PennDOT's findings limiting the advertising to on-premise businesses.
The giant animated billboard flashes messages at eastbound and westbound drivers on Interstate 80. The sign was converted to a digital display last year without a PennDOT permit.
It's not clear why no permit application was made when the sign was upgraded amid much fanfare. Ertle hosted a "grand opening" party when the sign was lit and touted its value for displaying public safety messages such as Amber Alerts.
Opponents of the sign say it is an unsafe distraction for drivers.
The Crossroads billboard is one of about 400 such digital signs across the country.

Source: By HOWARD FRANK Pocono Record Writer August 22, 2007