Mobile drivers are familiar with the quirky electronic messages greeting motorists into the Bankhead Tunnel.

The messages, since they first emerged in the summer of 2022, blend holidays and pop culture references into a short warning about the 83-year-old tunnel’s 12-foot height restrictions.

“Undefeated since 1941″

“New Year Same Height”

“Trick or treat Be Under 12 FT!”

“Over Height? Hang a Right”

“12 Feet, We are Serious Clark”

But a federal transportation document adopted on Dec. 19, threatens to spoil the fun.

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration is restricting changes to electronic traffic safety signs and requesting they be “simple, director, brief, legible and clear,” and relevant to the road user on the roadway on which the message is displayed.

The document also prohibits humorous signs with pop culture references “as they might be misunderstood or understood by only a limited segment of road users and require greater time to process and understand.”

ALDOT’s stance

In the past two days, national media stories suggest that state transportation officials nationwide will be scrubbing the humor from the signs.

The Alabama Department of Transportation’s Southwest Region isn’t committing to a change yet.

In a statement to AL.com Wednesday, spokesman James Gordon said the state agency will review the FHWA document to see if there is an opportunity to keep the signs. A humorous message was on the sign Wednesday that said, “I Like 12′ And I Cannot Lie!”

“These changes usually trickle down from the federal government to the state level and since this rule from the FHWA is so recent, we have had no policy decision at the state level yet,” Gordon said. “We are still in review of the actual changes and guidance provide din the FHWA documents.”

He said ALDOT needs to make sure the 1,100-page document is worded in such a way that the Bankhead Tunnel messages can be saved or, if they are allowed to continue, possibly altered.

“We need to determine if this is a clear directive without any leeway or is it a mere suggestion,” Gordon said. “ALDOT intends to fully comply with a requirement that this new guidance provides, including any directives that strictly prohibits use of humorous messaging if so determined.”

Feds: Use good judgment

An FHWA spokesperson, in an email statement to AL.com, said states are expected to “exercise good judgment in how and when they use changeable message signs for traffic safety messages, and in their specific working of the messages.”

The FHWA spokesperson said the manual sets the standards for traffic signs, signals, and markings and applies to all roads open to public travel in the U.S. – tunnels included.

According to an Associated Press article, the manual puts an end to the humor on the roadways. In Arizona, the article states, the state Department of Transportation has held a contest to find the funniest and most creative messages. More than 3,700 entries were received during a contest, in which the winning message said, “Seatbelts always pass a vibe check” and “I’m just a sign asking drivers to use turn signals.”

Federal transportation authorities, in November, ordered the removal of quirky interstate signs in New Jersey. The digital signs on that state’s roads and highways instructed motorists to slow down and not litter by injecting some humor: “We’ll be blunt, don’t drive High” or “Slow down. This ain’t Thunder Road” were two examples.

Gordon said that ALDOT controls digital signage within Mobile at only the Bankhead Tunnel and along the Interstate 10 Bayway. He said the state does not add humor to the I-10 sign, avoiding any distractions that might occur to motorists.

But the Bankhead signs are meant to add an extra bit of distraction in hopes of avoiding a truck crashing into the concrete tunnel.

In recent years, there has been an increase in trucks slamming into the tunnel with each incident often forcing authorities to close the structure for several hours so they can clean it up. ALDOT officials have pointed to the rise of crashes to the increased use of cellphone navigation apps directing truck drivers to the tunnel.

The humorous electronic message is just one example of warnings for motorists before entering the tunnel about the height restrictions. There is also a sign posted that informs trucks carrying hazardous materials to not enter the 3,400-foot underground structure.

On Government Street, there are two spots with the phrase “No Trucks” painted to the road.

Metal chains and an alarm system are also part of the process of warning drivers of a truck exceeding the tunnel’s 12-foot clearance. A typical semi-truck is a little more than 13 feet.

The frequency of the incidents, and the media attention they get, have created a bit of a cult following. T-shirts, and even a Christmas ornament have popped up recognizing the Bankhead Tunnel’s indestructability despite the rising number of trucks crashing into it.