Signs to nowhere

Motorists driving in a strange area and hoping those overhead street-name signs will guide the way all too often are left frustrated. Not because they don't know where they're going, but because they can't even read the signs the state put up to get them there. Why post signs if the paint doesn't last?

My colleague Joe Adelizzi has written in his "Joe on the Go'' column on several Sundays about this problem, which is evident from the Jersey Shore to most any point in New Jersey. On a jaunt this week, I couldn't read the sign on the street that passes my western Monmouth County development, several more along Route 33 heading west into Mercer County and even more on Route 206 north in Somerset County. At least, there's a street pole bearing the name of one key street there, probably because it leads to a high school.

A Department of Transportation spokesman told "Joe on the Go'' last April that maintenance crews are supposed to report the unreadable signs to the DOT, but with 15,000 miles of highways to patrol, they're likely to miss some. Just some? He recommended motorists e-mail the department (http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/email.shtm). See if that helps.