BUFFALO — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo isn't saying whether the controversial tourism signs along the state's major highways will be taken down.

The state was given until Sunday to comply with the Federal Highway Administration's February demand to remove 500 "I Love NY" campaign signs, which violate federal regulations for highway signage. The state Department of Transportation has asserted the signs are safe and they want to resolve the standoff amicably, but non-compliance could cost New York $14 million in federal funds.

The contested signs, which began rolling out in 2014, are posted on highways across the state and are typically tightly spaced in groups of five in a span of about a few hundred feet along the edge of roadways. The pattern generally consists of a large main sign and then four individual signs highlighting different tourism campaigns, such as "I Love NY," "Taste NY," parks and history.

Federal officials have raised concerns about the content on the signs and their placement, characterizing them as a potential distraction to motorists.

"We are still discussing with the federal government what changes they want to the signs," Cuomo said on Wednesday, when asked if they are coming down.

He added that the advertising campaign had run its course, an argument the state began making in the wake of threats from federal officials. "We have run that campaign for a few years now, so we will be switching to a new theme," Cuomo said.

The state previously said the signs will be replaced with "NY has it all!" themed signs during the summer. New York spent more than $8 million on the current signs.

"So the federal department of transportation has some technical issues with the signs that we're working on, but we're converting to the next campaign anyway," he said.

The state Department of Transportation claims that the signs were installed in accordance with federal and state standards and stresses that their placement hasn't directly resulted in any motorist incidents.

In response to questions about the new campaign, including the timetable for rolling it out and whether new signs will address federal concerns, a DOT spokesman said: "We continue to work cooperatively with FHWA to resolve any remaining issues and will provide an update soon."

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87