A state lawmaker is calling for the sale of commercial advertisements on California's highway message signs by the department of transportation.
“It won’t cost taxpayers a dime," Republican state Sen. Bob Huff, of San Dimas, said in a press release.
Sen. Huff's office estimates the project for California's more than 832 highway message signs could generate $200 million or more in new state revenue. An official CalTrans report on the project is not yet complete.
The state would use that to fund annual repairs to California's roads, according to Huff. Highway system repairs and maintenance are underfunded by about $5 billion annually, a legislative analysis found.
Advertisement revenue would be divided between CalTrans and the person or group who purchases the ad, but the Legislature is still figuring out how exactly it'll be divided.
The bill passed its first legislative hurdle this week when it was approved by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing.
Advertising is currently prohibited on the state's highway message signs. Their use is limited to traffic operations and regulatory, warning, and guidance information in order to limit distractions on drivers.