Roadkill

The deal between insurance giant GEICO and the Port Authority to make the George Washington Bridge and its approaches gecko-country is no more. The New York Times is reporting that the two-year, $3.2 million deal just agreed upon to place GEICO advertising on the bridge, approaches, and tollbooths fell apart after the Port Authority came under criticism from all sides (of the Hudson). The story highlights that:

preservationists and some local officials criticized the deal, complaining that the displays would have destroyed the aesthetics of the landmark bridge. The mayor of Fort Lee, where the toll plaza is situated, said that the Port Authority might have run afoul of local laws governing the placement of signs. But other politicians, including the State Senate president, Richard J. Codey, had more practical concerns: They said the Port Authority could have held out for more money.

Damn skippy! But of course, the real victim here is…the advertisers,

that were expecting to receive $800,000 for their work putting the deal together. In backing out of the arrangement, the Port Authority said the revenue from the advertisements was not worth the hostility the plan had received. “We misjudged the negative reaction to this,” Mr. Sigmund said. That reaction, he added, “was becoming a distraction to the agency, which faces big and serious issues over the next decade.” Despite the criticism, he insisted that the deal was “competitively priced.”