LakeCumberlandBoaters.com

Interstate 71/75 sign warns of zombies

ZOmbie.jpg (24.63 KiB) Viewed 5405 times

This sign greeted drivers on southbound Interstate 71/75. / Provided
Written by

Brenna R. Kelly

FLORENCE - As if orange barrels, speed traps and distracted motorists sharing the road weren’t stressful enough, drivers on southbound Interstate 71/75 Thursday morning were given another warning – beware of the undead.

An electronic highway sign on the interstate near the Ky. 18 exit read: “Nightly lane closures, zombies ahead.”

The sign was apparently hacked, said Nancy Wood, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokeswoman.

Highway contractor Bluegrass Paving has been working in the area at night, Wood said. The portable message board was supposed to read “Nightly lane closures, road work ahead.”

The Transportation Cabinet learned of the zombie warning about 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Officials contacted the contractor and turned off the sign until it was fixed.

“We’re not sure how long it had been up, luckily somebody was reading the sign and brought it our attention,” she said.

To put everyone’s brains at ease, Florence police said there were no reports of zombies in the area Thursday morning.

Wood said officials were not amused by the prankster.

“Those signs are there for a reason, they are to warn people of road work ahead to keep the motorists safe as well as the crews out there,” she said.

Hacking electronic highway signs with zombie warnings is apparently becoming a popular pastime across the country. Hackers have posted zombie warnings in at least six states.

In March, hackers warned drivers at the North Carolina/South Carolina line of zombies ahead. Hackers posted the same message in Boulder, Colo. earlier that month. Zombie messages have also been posted in Indiana, Texas and Illinois.

The mischief could be fueled by numerous web sites that explain to would be hackers how to change the message on the signs.

The Associated Press contributed.
Written by

Brenna R. Kelly

LOUISVILLE (AP) - A hacked road sign in Louisville instructed motorists to "honk if you're horny" and "beware of zombies," prompting the city's public works department to investigate who was changing the messages on the electronic message board.

Lindsay English, a spokeswoman for the Metro Public Works and Assets, told The Courier-Journal that the sign on Brownsboro Road was hacked twice on Tuesday and Wednesday.

She said the signs are operated through a subcontractor, SafetyCo., which was investigating how the electronic signs were reprogrammed. The signs are password-protected and were changed as soon as the city was notified