WA state follows federal ban on humor on road signs

Washington’s highways have no sense of humor. Don’t blame the state Department of Transportation. It’s the feds who have removed the funny bone from the state’s byways.

In new guidelines released in December by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), those electronic message signs over Washington’s highways have to stick strictly to matters of the road. No funny business allowed. The agency has given jokey states until 2026 to comply.

In an emailed statement to The News Tribune, WSDOT spokesperson Stefanie Randolph said the agency hasn’t had a sense of humor for a long time. Well, maybe she implied that.

The state follows the FHWA’s guidelines when it comes to the 330 signs statewide which it calls variable message signs, Randolph said.