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County Will Stripe Roads at Night

Due to global paint shortage, repainting stripes on some roads will have to wait.
Media release

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Night Striping Extended
UPDATED: 08/27/2010
Sponsored by: Department of Land Use and Transportation

Update Friday, August 27, 2010: Washington County received a shipment of road striping paint, so county crews will be striping roads over the weekend and for as long as the paint and the weather last. And the contract with our night striping contractor has been expanded to include 160 additional miles of road striping. They plan to start at 8 p.m. tomorrow night, August 28, and continue each night. Major roads that carry the most traffic will be painted first.

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Starting this Wednesday, August 18, Washington County's contractor, Specialized Pavement Marking Inc., will work nights repainting the stripes on arterial roads. Night striping is scheduled to continue through August 27, 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 from county line to Cornell Road
Cornell Road from county line to Main Street (Hillsboro)
Farmington Road from Murray Boulevard to Kinnaman
Murray Boulevard from Allen to Hwy 26
Scholls Ferry Road from county line to Murray Boulevard
Tualatin-Sherwood Road from Boones Ferry Road to Hwy 99

County crews usually repaint the stripes on rural and lower traffic volume urban roads throughout the summer. However, this summer, due to the global shortage of road paint, priority is being given to major roads. Some roads will not get their stripes repainted until paint becomes available, possibly not until next summer. Other alternatives such as adding reflective pavement markers are being installed where appropriate. 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. Paint will splash onto your vehicle if you drive across a stripe 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, county crews repaint the stripes on heavily traveled roadways each year. Road striping must be done when the road surface is dry and the weather is relatively warm.

For current roadwork information, call 503-846-ROAD (846-7623), e-mail us, or visit Washington County Roads at www.wc-roads.com.

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.

Media Contact:

Victoria Saager, Public Information Officer
503-846-7616
[email protected]