WYDOT striping crews will work in Green River April 25 and 26

The Wyoming Department of Transportation striping crews will be in Green River today and Thursday periodically striping new pavement markings on state highways. Pavement markings, or striping lines, are a common and expected traffic control that provides visual information to drivers for regulating, warning and guiding vehicle movements on roadways. 

Due to Wyoming's harsh winter conditions and weather hazards, these lines can fade or be destroyed. Every spring, crews venture out to re-paint these markings to provide improved safety and capacity for motorists traveling on highways.

WYDOT reminds drivers to be aware of the striping trucks on the road and to slow down accordingly. Stripers travel at a mere 15 mph while applying the paint and travel with a shadow car, which watches for traffic in the area. Drivers are urged to not follow stripers too closely and only pass when it is safe to do so.

"Running over a wet paint line ruins the reflectivity, which decreases nighttime visibility. We hope drivers will avoid running over these freshly painted stripes," WYDOT striping foreman Jeff Fox said. 

Orange cones are used to mark wet paint and are removed when the striping is dry. Striping paint dries fully within three to six minutes. However, if a motorist unfortunately does get paint on their vehicle, WYDOT recommends the following tips: 

• As soon as possible, take your vehicle to a car wash. This will loosen and remove most of the paint, unless it has dried for more than one full day.
• If the car wash does not remove the paint, allow the water to dry off the vehicle.  On the dry surface, spray the paint residue with WD-40 and allow it to stay on the area for 1-2 hours and rewash the vehicle. The WD-40 will soften the paint without hurting the vehicle's finish.  If there is a heavy concentration of paint, repeat the procedure.
• For heavy accumulations of paint that have dried for several days, apply a liberal coating of petroleum jelly to the dried traffic paint and allow it to stay on overnight.  Take vehicle to a pressure car wash.  Repeat the process if necessary.
• Do not scrub the surface of your vehicle with a solvent or scouring cleanser when removing the paint. This will only damage the finish. 
• Paint is often difficult to remove from wheel wells, due to their flat finish. Apply a liberal coating of petroleum jelly and leave it on for several days.  Then use a pressure washer to wash away the residue. Applying an alcohol such as Solox or rubbing alcohol to the area in the wheel well will help to soften any residue left after the petroleum jelly is washed away. Do not scrub the surface; just apply with a rag or sponge. 

WYDOT would like to remind drivers to slow down in work zones and be alert and cautious of roadside workers.

For more information on road construction, closures and weather conditions, please visit WYDOT's 511 website.