Talk:National Highway System Designation Act

Metric "Prohibitions"
I'm looking at the actual text of the law, and I'm not seeing where the spending of federal money on metric signage is actually prohibited. Rather... Placement and modification of signs. --The Secretary shall not require the States to expend any Federal or State funds to construct, erect, or otherwise place or to modify any sign relating to a speed limit, distance, or other measurement on a highway for the purpose of having such sign establish such speed limit, distance, or other measurement using the metric system. All I see is the law preventing the USDOT from requiring that signs be updated or replaced for the sake of metrication; the money would still be available if the States request it. The very next section also prevents the USDOT from putting metric requirements on highway planning and the like, at least not before 2000 September 30.

I'm really not getting where the Federal Highway Authority's website gets the "prohibited" interpretation from. Guppy313 (talk) 06:42, 18 August 2008 (UTC)


 * A sentence saying that can be added to this article so it is clear with a reference to the part of the act. Looks like this is stated in Sec. 205 C. Any other related text in the act? -Fnlayson (talk) 15:30, 18 August 2008 (UTC)


 * A sentencing saying what, though? That the Highway Authority (or at least a website author) may be misinterpreting a relatively insignificant part of the act as a whole?  I'm not sure this interpretation has even been tested.  Does anybody know of an instance where State requested federal highway money for metric signage and was denied by the Highway Authority?


 * And yes, that section is the only part of the Act that the word "metric" occurs in. Guppy313 (talk) 15:49, 18 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Something like: "The Act does not require states to modify or add highway signs to list Metric measurements."  Though that might be more fitting in Metrication in the United States than here. -Fnlayson (talk) 16:00, 18 August 2008 (UTC)