Why the travel scenery in Missouri may be changing

Travelers in Missouri may be viewing more billboards as they drive along the state’s roads and highways according to legislation endorsed this week. The House’s unanimous measure allows non-compliant billboards to be converted to digital formatting as long as the signs were compliant with rules as of Aug. 27, 1999. This date choice allows for the inclusion of double stacked signs to become digital; these signs had been outlawed after that date.

Digital billboards allow businesses to advertise more efficiently and effectively. It’s also cost effective for all involved parties. Previous traditional billboards cost near $1500 to a print, and now businesses need only send a computer file.

It is estimated 75 percent of Missouri’s 8,800 billboards are out of compliance, meaning they can’t be improved or changed. This leaves only about 100 to 150 signs that may be  converted to digital format in the next decade, that is, if the legislation is passed. The main roadblock at the moment is the cost of conversion: approximately $500,000 for both sides of a one-side billboard.