Street lanes to get a fresh paint

A white passing-lane line appears to be faded Tuesday on St.Joseph Street. The city is considering taking bids for a lane repainting project this spring.

To drivers who use St. Joseph Street in the twilight or later hours on winter days, the white lines on downtown's main three-lane eastbound street seem to disappear. The lines, worn out by heavy traffic, start to fade and drivers navigate the road on intuition. 

Kristin Boasen, who works as a bartender at The Brass Rail Lounge downtown, said lane lines are practically invisible on her late night commute home, "especially if there is any kind of moisture." She said she drives on the far side of the road as a guide to stay within the lane  

Drivers are about to get renewed guidance: All lane lines in Rapid City will be getting a fresh paint job this spring.

"We do everything in the spring, and on some of our higher traffic roads, we go back in the fall and redo them," City Engineer Dale Tech said in a phone interview on Tuesday.  

The Public Works Department estimates the paint job will cost $100,000.

The roads that require the most attention are the major arteries downtown including St. Joseph Street, Main Street and St. Patrick Street. They may get a second coat in the fall, depending on how the lines hold up.

Tech said his office receives some complaints about the fading lines, especially in the winter, but due to temperature-sensitive paint the city can only do the work in warming months.

"We can’t paint in the winter time," Tech said.  "It won’t stick."

Tech expects bids for this project to be accepted in early May, with the work completed in June.  

According to Tech, there are two types of materials used for marking roads: paint and tape. The painted lines are touched up every year and are primarily used on older roads that have always had painted lines.  

The other road marker is a special tape placed in grooves in the road. That is a more permanent treatment, lasting about 5 years according to Tech. The tape marking method is typically used on newly constructed roads.

But using tape on all the roads is both cost- and time-prohibitive, according to Tech, who said the taping would cost 10 times as much and take 100 times longer to apply than the paint.

In the past the city used oil-based paint to mark lane lines, but changed to water-based paint about 20 years ago to comply with environmental regulations. Tech said the oil paint lasts longer, but the water-based paint is the only option. 

On Tuesday the Public Works Committee unanimously approved the request to allow bidding for the painting project.

At its next meeting, the Rapid City Council will consider authorizing the annual paint job. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the City/School Administration Center, 300 Sixth St.