SIGNS ON THE INTERSTATE: INTERSECTION GRWOTH REFLECTED ON FOOD, LODGING, GAS LOGOS

Neon signs guide Interstate 55 travelers to various Cape Girardeau motels and restaurants. Due to recent growth some of the businesses are not currently included in the Missouri Logos program.

It's 5 o'clock on a hot August afternoon. You're on Interstate 70, midway between St. Louis and Kansas City. The kids are in the back seat. One is having a Big Mac attack, the other is whining that he "has to go...now." Your wife announces she has a headache. The fuel level warning light has just come on. And you call this a vacation?

There's help ahead.

"Signs on the Interstate," a program of the Missouri State Highway and Transportation Department, offers interstate travelers quick reference for food, lodging and gas facilities.

In Missouri, the highway department contracts with Missouri Logos to do the selling, marketing, billing and maintenance for the logos program, now in its fifth year.

"We've been well pleased with the program," said Tom Dollus, a state traffic engineer. "It has been a success in the number of signs and businesses participating."

Profits from the program goes into a fund for sign maintenance and upkeep.

Becoming a part of the program -- which can be lucrative to businesses relying on interstate traffic -- does not involve bidding, said Ken Nieveen, an account executive with Missouri Logos.

Instead, like any other piece of real estate, location is everything.

Primary criterion for the program, Nieveen said, is businesses must be within three miles of an intersection with signs. The cost of being a part of the interstate sign program is $1,500 a year, regardless of the size of the business.

Another criterion is that the businesses must be open at least 12 hours a day.

"The program is designed for motorists," said Nieveen. "The signs are there to help motorists find local service stations, restaurants, lodgings and sometimes campgrounds." Each sign category has space for six businesses.

The three-mile rule, Nieveen, added, is sometimes extended to six miles if a vacancy exists on a sign, or if there are no facilities near an interstate intersection.

Businesses have to sign two to five-year contracts to be on the signs. The contracts lock in the rental rate for the period of the contract.

The $1,500 contract doesn't include the cost of the sign, which is manufactured by Missouri Logos, or cost of installation.

Initial sign construction can cost $700 to $1,000, depending on the colors of the logos.

The annual $1,500 cost is based on four logos, two from either direction, noted Nieveen. The "mainline" sign, located about a quarter-mile before the intersection, includes 3-by-4-foot logo. The "ramp" signs, located at the intersection exits, have 18-by-24-foot logos.

"It will be interesting when some of the current contracts expire at the Route K/Interstate 55 intersection at Cape Girardeau," said Nieveen. "Since these contracts were signed, a number of new restaurants -- Ryan's Steak House, McDonald's, Hardee's, Red Lobster and Cracker Barrel, have been constructed at the intersection. Another restaurant, Outback Steak House, is under construction.

Some of these restaurants have already applied for the logos program, he said.

"The growth at this intersection boggles my mind," said Nieveen, who lived at Jackson four years, before joining Missouri Logos, and moving to Jefferson City.

Restaurants currently located on the logos program include Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and Shoney's Restaurants, Wendy's Restaurant, Taco Bell, Burger King and El Chico.

"Some of these restaurants will lose their spot because of their locations," said Nieveen. "Some of the new restaurants are much closer to the intersection."

Surprisingly, only two gasoline logos -- Citco and Shell -- are included on the Route K/I55 interection logo signs. Five names appear on the lodgings logos: Drury Lodge, Drury Suites, Holiday Inn, Victorian Inn and Relax Inn.

Participants in the logos program are amazed at the effectiveness of the logo program, noted Nieveen. "Some restaurants have been surprised in the increased traffic, and especially the increases in tour buses."

Interstate logos programs have been in existence a number of years. Illinois, which conducts its own program, has been involved with a program more than 20 years.

Logos signage costs vary in different states, from the $1,500 a year in Missouri to $2,000 in Illinois, and $6,000 in Pennsylvania. The majority of states have some type of logos program.

Interstate Logo of Baton Rouge, La., has established logo sign companies in 11 states since 1989, including Missouri, to contract and implement logo contracts. Missouri Logos was established in February 1991 and provides service for the eastern portion of the state, from Hannibal to the Arkansas state line.

Interstate Logos officials cite on-time and early completions of sign construction for its success in the logos sign business.

Through 1995, Interstate Logos, the largest provider of logo signs in the nation, has been responsible for the construction of more than 4,000 background panels and more than 22,000 business logos.

Since January 1989, the company has been responsible for the erection of about $25 million of logo sign structures. The company anticipates an additional $9 million of construction will be completed during is 1996 fiscal year.

Interstate Logos have budgeted sales for $17.6 million for 1996.