AtlanticCountyPoopRoadSign02

A road safety sign reads "Poop" along U.S. Route 40 in Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, late Tuesday night, July 5, 2016. (Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com)

(Lori M. Nichols)

HAMILTON TWP. -- If you happened to be traveling eastbound along U.S. Route 40 late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, you might have spotted a road sign stating this in bright orange-yellow letters: Poop.

The portable variable message sign (PVMS), located approximately half a mile west of the intersection with Route 50, was set up by a contractor for a road construction project underway by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT).

Officials from the Township of Hamilton Police Department called NJDOT about the portable road safety sign late this morning, after receiving a few calls from travelers.

A different road sign, located along the westbound lanes of U.S. Route 40 preceding the roadwork, read "Road work next 5 miles."

It is unclear who changed the PVMS to read "Poop," or how long the sign remained that way.

According to Stephen Schapiro, communications director for NJDOT, the contractor was contacted this morning as soon as the Department was notified of the message and "directed the contractor to remove the message" of the vandalized PVMS, which was done "shortly thereafter."

"The Department reiterated to the contractor that the control boxes of all PVMS must be secured with a lock to prevent vandalism," Schapiro said in a statement emailed late this afternoon.

The sign caught the eyes of at least a few passersby, as a car was seen stopped along the road in front of the sign around midnight.

Lori M. Nichols may be reached at lnichols@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @photoglori. Find NJ.com on Facebook.