The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) announced progress in the implementation of their new roadside memorial guidelines aimed at allowing an immediate family member to memorialize a death which occurred as the result of a vehicular crash on the State Highway System.
Last November, NDOT announced the new guidance for roadside memorials. Since that time, NDOT teammates have been actively working with family members on implementation across the State to answer questions about existing memorials and the new the memorial signs. Through the implementation of the new signs, NDOT remains committed to listening to family members to help improve the established guidelines while continuing to balance the needs of the grieving family and the safety of the roadway.
With this commitment to the families in our mind, in the last 8 months, a total of 20 new signs have been installed across the State. As a reminder, immediate family members can apply for a NDOT produced sign to be erected in the State Right of Way as a memorial at the location of the crash for two years. NDOT makes every effort to place the memorial sign as close to the requested location as possible. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, these memorial signs cannot be placed on the interstate system.
Each memorial sign includes a safety message chosen by the family from five available options: “Please Drive Safely”; “Seat Belts Save Lives”; “Don’t Drink and Drive”; ”Don’t Text and Drive”; “Don’t Drive Impaired” and also displays the name of the individual being memorialized.
The application as well as guidance material for a memorial can be found at https://appengine.egov.com/apps/ne/roadside_memorial_sign. Applications can be completed electronically or printed and filed with the Nebraska Department of Transportation, Communications and Public Policy Division. The application fee is $50 to help offset the cost of the customized sign.
