KINGSTON — On Jan. 26, a pickup rammed and destroyed the Port of Kingston sign at the entrance to the parking lot. On April 23, its replacement was installed.

The old sign was one-foot thick, two-feet tall, 10-feet long and made of reinforced concrete. That wasn’t enough to stop the driver of a heavy-duty pickup from knocking it over and breaking it in two.

The new aluminum sign was designed by Hanson Signs. It is 12-feet long by four-feet high and painted in shades of grey and aqua that complement the Port’s new color scheme for its buildings and roofs.

If somebody hits the new 300-pound sign, it’s designed to swivel because it’s mounted on a single, six-inch steel pipe set in reinforced concrete—a safety feature intended to reduce the likelihood of injuring the driver should another vehicle hit it, according to Brian Walters, Hanson installer.

Port plans call for re-landscaping the area and installing lighting to make the sign more visible at night.

Surveillance video showed it was almost midnight when the old sign was rammed by a dark grey, 1994-1998 GMC or Chevy extended-cab, step-side pickup. The vehicle kept on going into the parking lot. The driver spent about five minutes inspecting his vehicle for damage, then drove off.

The vehicle and driver have never been identified.

The new sign cost about $7,000. The cost was covered by the Port’s insurance carrier

— By Terryl Asla, communication coordinator, Port of Kingston