Is there any space left which is left unaffected by the kudzu of advertising? This is par for the course in the continued de-evolution of our civic society from one of the public commons to that of the privatized corporate state, where everything (including the genetic code of life itself) is for sale.

Drivers crossing the George Washington Bridge must contend with 18-wheelers, infuriating delays and noxious exhaust. Soon, they will also have advertisements from Geico. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is expected to announce an arrangement with Geico, the auto insurance giant, that will include the posting of a huge billboard on top of the toll plaza in Fort Lee, N.J., that says “Geico Drive Safely.” Drivers will also see Geico signs with the company’s mascot, a gecko, on the tollbooths and electronic signs on the approach roads. Geico’s message will also be integrated into the Port Authority’s direct mailings and its Web site, and costumed gecko mascots will appear at Port Authority bus stations. . .

Geico is not the first company to think about buying a bridge - or at least the advertising rights to one. And other public agencies have been exploring unconventional ways to bring in more money, even if it means toying with long-held taboos about commercializing public spaces. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, for instance, is exploring how to sell sponsorships in San Francisco. . .

“This is more than just eyeballs; it’s about reinforcing a message about a bridge that people have an endearing feeling to,” said Drew Sheinman, chief executive of Axcess Partners Worldwide, a marketing company hired by the Port Authority to develop new advertising. . .

The new signs could irritate drivers who view their cars as a refuge from media messages, as well as preservationists who see the bridge, a landmark, as unfit for commercial advertisements - even if they appear only on the tollbooths. . .

Read the rest of the article Here, originally published in The New York Times