The BC government are implementing new pavement marking with a number of new ideas, such as more checks on contractors to “maintain consistent performance.”
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced Wednesday that painting had begun “with higher standards than previous years, which makes the paint easier for people to see.”
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In December 2018, new pavement marking service agreements were signed around the province through an open bidding process. Improvements were made on previous agreements that now include 20 per cent more lines to be painted each year and thicker paint used. Other improvements are using larger glass beads in coastal areas for “increased reflectivity and visibility at night” and giving lines a second lick of paint.
Each of the five pavement marking service areas in the province have signed five-year terms and include an optional two-year extension. These areas are Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Thompson-Cariboo, Okanagan-Kootenay and the North.
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Due to more favourable weather conditions, the first lines were painted on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Pavement marking is now taking place in all regions and this week crews will be working in the following areas:
- Highway 16 near Vanderhoof and Highway 97 in the Prince George area in the North;
- Highway 1 in the Salmon Arm and Cache Creek areas and Highway 6 near Nakusp in the southern Interior;
- Highway 1 in the Abbotsford area in the Lower Mainland; and
- Side roads in the Duncan area and parts of Highway 1 between Duncan and Victoria on Vancouver Island.
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Private contractors are responsible for repainting more than 20,000 kilometres on highways and provincially owned side roads in B.C. every year.
The ministry invests approximately $20 million on the pavement marking program each year.
For more information on pavement marking, including maps for each service area, visit: www2.gov.bc.ca.
nick.murray@peninsulanewsreview.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
