Date:  Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Contact: Patrick Conrad, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4473

SEATTLE – Break out the paint, the trucks and hope for great weather. WSDOT kicked-off its striping season this week with a reminder to drivers to watch for “wet paint” signs on Puget Sound area highways.

From now until October, crews will lay down more than 4,500 miles of striping which includes both roadway and ramps around the Puget Sound between the King/Pierce county line and the Canadian border. The fresh coat of reflective paint applied during spring, summer and fall months make it easier for drivers to see the road when the winter rains return.

“Next to snow and ice removal, striping is our top safety priority,” said Jerry Althauser, WSDOT Superintendent for Traffic Maintenance and Operations. “Each gallon of paint contains thousands of tiny glass reflector beads to help increase visibility during dark rainy conditions.”

Althauser reminds drivers to give striping crews plenty of room and to watch for “wet paint” signs on Puget Sound highways. Although WSDOT uses fast drying, water-based paint, driving over fresh stripes or changing lanes when following a striping crew removes the reflectivity of the stripe and splatters paint onto the vehicles.

“Crews have a lot of striping to put down within a very short window of time,” said Althauser. “In most cases we will not be able to re-paint stripes smeared by vehicles until spring 2010.”

What can drivers do to avoid wet paint?

• Watch for “wet paint” warning signs and “wet paint” warning trucks
• Do not change lanes near striping or “wet paint” warning trucks
• Listen to traffic reports for information about when and where striping crews will be on the road

What will WSDOT do to warn drivers?

• Use well-marked striping trucks and signs
• Follow each striping truck with several warning trucks to alert drivers
• Post electronic message boards with “wet paint” warnings
• Inform local radio stations about when and where trucks are striping
• Post weekly information about where striping operations are scheduled: www.wsdot.wa.gov/northwest/construction/

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