ACHD News Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Warmer weather means the Ada County Highway District's paint crew is hard at work restoring and restriping pavement markings on the roads. It's important drivers are mindful of crews while they are working.

This work puts ACHD employees directly in traffic. Motorists should slow down, be attentive, stay within the lanes, and follow the traffic control in place when they come across the paint crew.

Not only are crews vulnerable, driving over wet paint makes the treatment less effective. ACHD uses a high-build paint mixed with glass beads that give the paint reflective properties for nighttime driving. When driven over while wet, tires smear the paint down the road and remove the glass beads.

To avoid smearing paint or damage to vehicles, traffic cones are placed directly on top of the newly painted lane lines and are strategically placed in certain areas where traffic crosses most frequently. The cones are typically spread apart and not every line will have one. However, if a line does not have traffic cone on it, but others around it do, it is safe to assume that all the paint is wet.

Drivers should use caution when changing lanes in areas with wet paint. Either change lanes between the wet lines or even drive an extra block to turn around if needed.

ACHD's paint crew typically works overnight, but there are times the crew works during the day. Crews do their best to pick areas and times with the least amount of impact to the public. This work must be done during the warmer months for the best outcome. Painting season begins when the temperature is 50 degrees and higher.

ACHD paints about 3000 lane miles a year with 50,000 gallons of paint.