CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The Wyoming Department of Transportation plans to begin removing some 300 homemade memorials to crash victims around the state. In their place, the department is offering immediate relatives of crash victims the option of having state-approved memorials placed at the edge of the highway right of way. The state outlawed private roadside memorials in 2003, but WyDOT granted a five-year grace period for existing markers. The grace period ends Friday.
"This is an emotional issue, and no policy is going to please everyone," department Director John Cox said.
WyDOT officials say safety is the main reason for not allowing private memorials. Department officials said they spent a year creating the state roadside memorial program back in 2002 and 2003. They settled on a sheet metal sign with the images of a broken heart and a dove.