A new sign on the Key Bridge welcoming drivers to the District was vandalized over the weekend, treating commuters to an anti-war message this morning.

The sign, which has sat on the Virginia side of the Key Bridge since the 1960s, has both served as a welcoming to drivers and a prominent canvas for political graffiti. Recently, Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) worked with the District Department of Transportation to add a new welcome sign; it was the second time this year that the city has had to pay to replace the sign. (We’ve asked DDOT how much the new sign cost, and will update as soon as we’re told.)

Over the weekend, vandals spray-painted “Iraq Epic Fail” over the sign. Yesterday, a green tarp was draped over the sign, concealing the graffiti, but it had been removed this morning. Containers of white paint that were used to cover the lettering and an image of the District’s flag lay behind the sign, along with various empty beer cans.

There’s a good reason that the sign is often vandalized — it’s easy to get to, and it’s in a highly visible location. According to DDOT figures from 2009, some 61,000 trips are taken across the Key Bridge in either direction every day. If half of those crossings are from Virginia into the District, that’s a pretty sizable captive audience for a political message. If vandals really wanted to make a point, though, they’d hit the 14th Street Bridge — there are 179,000 trips per day across that span.