Floral billboard project killed

Gibbons administration plans for floral billboards on federal highways through Washoe and Clark counties have been halted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The proposal, which would have installed corporate logos and such material on I-80 and I-15 in vegetative form, was approved by the Bush administration in its final weeks. But after the departure of Bush Transportion Secretary Mary Peters and pressure from two key congressional voices on highway issues, federal officials reassessed the project. On Jan. 26, FHWA official Regin McElroy wrote in a letter to environmental lobbyist Kevin Fry, “However, based on further consideration of all the factors relevant to the proposal, we have decided not to proceed with it."State highway officials, who did not inform the public of the billboard project, have not yet been notified of its cancellation.