1. As a part of every plan and of all specifications and contracts for the construction of highways, provisions must be made for the erection of permanent guideposts and signboards at every point where another road crosses or diverges from such highways and at all places requiring warning to the traveling public as to the condition of the road, such as dangerous turns and steep grades. Such guideposts and signboards must contain plain and accurate information as to the distances of towns and other points such as is usually contained on signboards for the information of the traveling public.

2. The Department shall:

(a) Cause to be put up, and to be kept up thereafter, on and along the highways, all such usual and necessary road markers and highway signs adopted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

(b) Cause to be put up, and to be kept up thereafter, informative signs, distinctive in color and design, pointing out, calling attention to and descriptive of nearby points, location of and distance to water, and objects of natural, scenic, geographical, geological, paleographical and historical interest to the traveler within or passing through the State.

(c) Cause to be put up, and to be kept up thereafter, informative signs which indicate scenic routes.

3. Every guidepost, signboard, road marker, highway sign, informative sign and descriptive sign put up by the Department pursuant to this section must contain measurements based on metric units if:

(a) The Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation issues specifications for utilizing measurements based on metric units; and

(b) Money is made available for this purpose by the Federal Government.

4. Any person who willfully tears down, digs up, or in any manner defaces, destroys or carries away any such guideboards, road markers, highway signs or descriptive signs as provided in this section is guilty of a public offense, as prescribed in NRS 193.155, proportionate to the value of the markers or signs destroyed, damaged, removed or defaced and in no event less than a misdemeanor. The Department has a cause of action against such a person in a court of competent jurisdiction for the amount expended for repairs and replacement of such signs and markers, together with the cost and expenses incurred in the action.

(Added to NRS by 1957, 689; A 1967, 573; 1977, 409; 1983, 533)