Justice
No, the Feds Are Not Requiring Times Square to Remove Its Billboards
But why are Broadway and 7th Avenue now classified as national highways?
Reports from outlets ranging from the Washington Post to CBS-NYC stated Wednesday that the federal government is pressuring the New York City Department of Transportation to remove Times Square's largest billboards, or face a 10 percent reduction in funds for the state's federal highways.
Well, it wasn't exactly about "beautification"—though that might be the word that comes up most often in conversations around billboard removal. No, Times Square is among the world's few chosen spots where flashing advertisements are part of a sense of place.