By Tony McVeigh
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-853125.mp3
Frankfort, KY – Twenty-seven thousand miles of the 74-thousand miles of highways in Kentucky are maintained by the state. And right now, the state has no specific policy regulating roadside memorials, unless they pose a traffic or safety hazard. That was the case with a memorial in Western Kentucky, says Chuck Knowles of the Transportation Cabinet. "We had a marble, five-foot cross placed on the right of way, in memory of a lost one. Obviously, for safety reasons being a roadside obstacle, we asked the family to relocate that behind the right of way fence."
Knowles says the cabinet is sensitive to families who have lost loved ones in traffic accidents, and unless the memorials pose some kind of hazard, they're pretty much left alone. Other states are not as permissive, with several requiring state permits and official signage.