New, high-contrast road striping may make Utah’s vanishing lane markings a thing of the past.
The dashed markings on Utah’s roadways have long been a concern in the Beehive State — whether it’s during a summer monsoon or winter snowstorm, drivers are frequently unable to distinguish lane separations amid inclement weather.
But in Utah County, crews are currently working to finish a section of updated, thicker road stripes — and positive feedback is already rolling in, Utah Department of Transportation spokesperson John Gleason said.
The $26 million Enhanced Freeway Striping project is replacing lane markings on Interstate 15 from 800 South in Payson to Lehi’s Main Street. The re-striping there began in March, and is scheduled to wrap up in September before crews next work to replace road markings in Salt Lake, Davis, Toeele, and Summit counties.
That work will begin Sept. 5 and is scheduled to finish by fall 2024.
“It’s called contrast striping... some people call it tiger tail,” Gleason said. “You put down a white line, and then directly following the white line, you have the black and it really stands out — it really pops, and it makes the white even more visible.”
To replace the lane markings, crews first remove the old striping by grinding a shallow groove into the highway pavement, which also protects the new striping from snowplow damage.
Then adhesive goes down onto the road, which seals in the new high-contrast markings — all of which are 2 inches thicker than the old stripes.
Sections of I-15, Interstate 215, Interstate 80 and State Route 201 are slated to receive the new striping next.
“We’ve had mayors and just people in the community that have reached out and indicated that it’s a vast improvement to what they had out there before,” Gleason said of the Utah County phase.
“Because the last thing in the world that you want to happen, if you’re out there in the middle of a rainstorm, is for the lines to disappear,” Gleason said. “I think it’s happened to all of us.”
Utah’s wide variety of extreme weather is one of the biggest factors in the wear-and-tear of the state’s current lane markings. And despite what drivers may see, all of them are already reflective — but that wear-and-tear causes them to dull, Gleason said.
UDOT is also now reallocating $6 million annually from its construction budget for striping upkeep, Gleason said, though it has always budgeted for new striping when implementing major projects.
Of the continued lane-striping work, Gov. Spencer Cox said on Twitter early Monday, “This is great news for Utahns as we work to make our roads safe for everyone.”
Follow @jordanrmillerr