We live in a beautiful place and we are reminded of this every time we bike, walk, or drive around Humboldt Bay. Unfortunately, for many years these scenic coastal views have been marred by the presence of unsightly billboards jutting up along the Highway 101 Safety Corridor between Arcata and Eureka.
Humboldt Baykeeper has been working for years to have these billboards removed - legally and permanently. There have been many unsuccessful attempts in the past to remove these billboards, but in Sept. 2013, the California Coastal Commission responded to our calls to address this blight. Since then, Caltrans has finally revoked permits for most of the billboards along the bay. Since 2012, 16 fewer billboards obstruct our beautiful bay views between Arcata and Eureka, and today only 3 remain. We will continue our efforts until they are all gone for good.
In August, Caltrans announced that an agreement had been made with billboard giant Outfront Media to remove ten billboards along Highway 101 adjacent to Humboldt Bay. Even though six of the billboards had already had their permits revoked, this agreement was a big step forward and applauded by many. What Outfront Media will get in exchange is currently unknown.
8/20/16
By the end of the year, only four billboards will be left standing along Humboldt Bay between Eureka and Arcata.
In an agreement with Caltrans that was publicly announced on Friday, the billboards’ owner Outfront Media Inc. — formerly CBS Outdoor — will remove 10 billboards along Humboldt Bay before the end of the year, thus clearing the way for the proposed Humboldt Bay Trail and the construction of a new interchange at the Indianola Cutoff.
Letter to the Editor
3/28/15
The Eureka City Council will be discussing electronic signs at their next meeting (April 7 at 6 p.m., Eureka City Hall). There are already electronic signs at several Eureka businesses, and a couple of them are on historic houses in residential neighborhoods. These signs have several drawbacks: They are illuminated and can annoy neighbors who may be trying to sleep. They complete for attention and contribute to visual blight. They are distracting to drivers. In order to compete, other business will also want electronic signs. Soon there will be hundreds all over town and we will no longer be a Victorian sea port of architectural significance — we will be awash in brilliance and glare like so many cities. Please attend the meeting and email or call council members.
Advertisers protest impact on local businesses
3/22/15
The Arcata City Council has now joined the ongoing battle of the bayside billboards along the Highway 101 Safety Corridor by approving a letter calling for the removal of five signs that stand within the city limits and sphere of influence.
3/5/15
The U.S. Highway 101 Safety Corridor between Arcata and Eureka is now three billboards short due to what has been a long contested and debated issue of land ownership and permission from landowners.
While three billboards were hacked down on the corridor last year overnight, the three signs that were removed earlier this week were taken down by their owners after it was determined after that the signs stood on property that was a North Coast Railroad Authority, or NCRA, land easement.
