County Contractor Will Stripe Roads at Night

For Immediate Release: Thursday, August 11, 2011

Starting Wednesday, August 17, Washington County's contractor, Apply-A-Line Inc., will work nights repainting the stripes on arterial roads. Night striping is scheduled to continue through August 26, from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Striping at night when there is less traffic reduces delays on heavily traveled roadways.

Roads scheduled for night striping:
Barnes Road
Cornell Road
Farmington Road
Murray Boulevard
Scholls Ferry Road

County crews usually repaint the stripes on rural and lower traffic volume urban roads throughout the summer. County striping crews will operate during daytime hours, weather permitting. Daytime striping work begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends by 4:30 p.m.

Motorists should use caution when they encounter a road striping operation. Do not drive across the stripes while the paint is still wet. The paint used to stripe roads is a water-borne, non-toxic paint containing reflective glass beads. If you accidentally get road paint on your vehicle, you can remove it if you wash the area with soap and water right away before the paint sets up.

Motorists approaching a striping operation from behind will have plenty of warning. First they will see a vehicle carrying an electronic message board displaying alternating messages such as "Wet Paint" and "Do Not Pass." Next will be a second "shadow" vehicle with flashing lights and a sign warning "Road Painting Ahead."

Finally flashing lights and a "Caution – Wet Paint" sign will identify the striper truck, which sprays the paint stripes onto the road. Additional warning signs may be used to further inform motorists of the striping operation. Please obey the signed instructions and drive with care when encountering these situations.

Washington County's Department of Land Use and Transportation maintains almost a thousand lane miles of road striping. Because traffic wears the paint away, the stripes on heavily traveled roadways are repainted each year. Road striping must be done when the road surface is dry and the weather is relatively warm.

For more information about the county's road striping program, please contact Keith Lewis, Operations Superintendent, at 503-846-7685.

For current road work information, visit Washington County Roads at www.wc-roads.com or call 503-846-ROAD (846-7623).

Washington County is committed to building and maintaining the best transportation system, ensuring the safety of all roadway users, and to operating the county roadway system in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner.

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