$27.5 Million...
From the FAQ of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways
“14.Q: Can lettering on street name signs still be done in all upper case letters?
A: No, lettering for place names and destinations on all guide signs, including Street Name signs, shall be in mixed case lettering with the 1st letter in upper case followed by lower case lettering. This is because mixed case lettering has better recognition and legibility distances than all upper case lettering for place names and destinations. The minimum letter heights for Street Name signs given in Section 2D.45 refer to the height of the initial upper case letter.”
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/knowledge/faqs/faq_part2.htm#q14
The font they want us to use was not designed to have space between the letters. That makes it HARDER to read, and also makes it look like an amateur computer effort.
The thing that has bothered me about New York City street signs ever since I moved here in 1963 is that there a sign on only one of the four corners on most intersections. And it never seems to be the corner you are looking at.
Instead of creating lighted signs for the tourist district, how about a sign on at least two of the corners of every intersection?