[North Carolina] N.C. 3 road signs have been received by the N.C. Department of Transportation and are ready to be installed on the section of N.C. 136 between Kannapolis and Mooresville that will be renamed to honor the late Dale Earnhardt. We do have the signs and we are ready to put them up, said NCDOT Division Traffic Engineer Thomas Thrower, who is based in Albemarle. We haven’t got a go-date yet. He did say the signs will be going up in the near future. He said he’s heard about Iredell County politicians who are talking about having the signs installed March 3. That’s would be 03-03-03, a play on the number that Earnhardt made so famous during his driving days. Between 110 and 115 signs will be posted in Cabarrus County, Thrower said. Currently, he has about 150 of the signs at the NCDOT offices in Albemarle. Once the signs go up, he said there will be a threat that some overzealous fans will try to steal them. However, he said state officials are going to do everything possible to ward off those looking to make the signs into souvenirs. We’re putting locknuts on them, he said. He acknowledged there will likely will be the need to replace some signs. That’s why he has 150. If signs are stolen, it will come at the expense of the state’s taxpayers. Thrower said the signs costs about $25 each. However, once materials and the cost of installation are factored in, he said the amount spent to post each sign is approximately $50. Oct. 23, 2002, Gov. Mike Easley signed legislation that designated that the 28-mile stretch of N.C. 136 between Concord, Kannapolis and Mooresville would become known as Dale Earnhardt Highway. Thus the N.C. 3 signs were slated to be developed.( Independent Tribune )(1-22-3003)
