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By Meg Marco~The Consumerist
Will sponsored pot holes sell chicken? KFC seems to think so. They’ve asked the City of Chicago if they can fix potholes — in exchange for including a white stencil saying the spot was “Re-freshed by KFC.”
Despite the fact that the ads would be a “distraction and safety hazard,”— both Chicago and the State of Illinois are interested in partnering with a private company, says the Sun-Times.
Chicago certainly has its pothole problems – the Transportation Department has filled more than 250,000 street craters this winter. Department spokesman Brian Steele said the city has a lot of questions about KFC’s program, like what type of asphalt is used. The city also doesn’t allow ads in the public way, because they could create a distraction and safety hazard.
But Steele said the city doesn’t reject the idea out of hand – Commissioner Thomas Byrne has already been looking into possible corporate sponsorship for pothole repair – and one unnamed company is a possibility.
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“We are open to a variety of public-private opportunities and we’d be glad to discuss this one with the firm and see if it fits with Illinois requirements for quality, safety, timeliness and cost-effectiveness,” said IDOT spokesman Marisa Kollias.
Wait… Illinois has “requirements for quality, safety, timeliness and cost-effectiveness?” Maybe they should ask KFC if they want to buy some parking meters, too.
