The Wyoming Department of Transportation plans to begin removing some 300 homemade memorials to crash victims around the state.

In their place, the department is offering immediate relatives of crash victims the option of having state-approved memorials placed at the edge of the highway right of way.

The state outlawed private roadside memorials in 2003 but WyDOT granted a five-year grace period for existing markers. The grace period ends Friday.

"This is an emotional issue, and no policy is going to please everyone," department Director John Cox said. "We sympathize with family members' desires to remember their loved ones, but we must meet our responsibility to maintain a safe highway system."

WyDOT officials say that safety is the main reason for not allowing private memorials. They say it can be dangerous for people to try to maintain a memorial in a highway right of way.

"We believe having WyDOT personnel put up memorial signs is preferable to having family members put themselves in danger, or put other drivers in potential danger by allowing obstructions to remain in the highway clear zone," Cox said.

David Salverson, a Cheyenne man whose son, Kevin Salverson, was killed by a drunken driver in 2001, said private roadside memorials can serve an important role in the grieving process. He also said he understands the need to keep the highway right of way clear.

"I understand both sides of the story, where they need to have one that is safe, and they don't want people out there in danger while they're putting them up," Salverson said.

Department officials said they spent a year creating the state roadside memorial program back in 2002 and 2003. They settled on a sheet metal sign with the images of a broken heart and a dove. Images specific to any one religious group were avoided.

"They wanted to come up with something that appropriately recognized that a life had been lost, but stopped short of promoting any specific belief system," Cox said.