Las Vegas NowWhat's Driving You Crazy? Faded Lines

What's Driving You Crazy? Faded Lines

Channel 8 viewers say many times roadways around the valley don't have painted lines or reflectors which makes driving confusing!

Eyewitness News Traffic Anchor, Dayna Roselli looked into this issue.  Who does the job? And do they too feel overwhelmed? You might be surprised to find out the crew is smaller than you think.

It seems simple, painting lines on the road and laying down raised pavement markers.  But when it comes to covering almost 7,000 miles of roadway a year with a crew of four, it's not that easy.

Dayan Brown is the man when it comes to painting the county's roadway lines. He admits they do a lot of work. Last year, Brown's crew included two guys.  This year they received funding for a third.

The Clark County maintenance crew works midnight to 10:30 a.m. four days a week.  They have one truck.  After they are done with their overnight work, they prepare for the next day.

The crew fills their truck with paint and glass beads used for reflection on the road.

Dayan Brown says, "we put down over 4,000 gallons of paint on the roadway which is equivalent to over 260 miles of a 4-inch line, which is equivalent from going from Las Vegas to the coast of Los Angeles."

This crew also lays down RPM's, the raised pavement markers. They lay each button down by hand and then use a new machine to seal them in place.

Brown says, "once I put them in, I know I don't have to go on that roadway for another four or five years."

Paint is cheaper to use than RPM's but paint doesn't stay fresh very long.  The lines don't necessarily fade, they mostly get covered up by oil and dirt.

In addition to painting lines, the crew lays down tape for crosswalks, school zones, turn arrows, and stop bars. They also paint medians and curbs.

Brown says, "school crosswalks will be number one, like go take care of it like yesterday."