City of Ottawa crews will begin refreshing the white and yellow paint that marks lanes and intersections on municipal roads later this spring. Some road markings are difficult to see or have disappeared following the winter weather in Ottawa. City staff told CTV News Ottawa that pavement marking operations will begin on May 4 following the seasonal street sweeping on roads across the city. “Street sweeping is necessary to ensure durable, high-quality markings,” Jared Hebbs, program manager of Signs and Pavement Markings, said in a statement. “Throughout the season, roadway line markings will be refreshed once, with high-volume, signalized intersections repainted twice, subject to weather conditions.” Ottawa’s maintenance standard for pavement markings requires that yellow dividing lines, white edge lines and white vehicular and bike lane lines be reapplied once a year. The paint at all signalized and unsignalized intersections, including stop bars, crosswalks and directional arrows, is applied twice a year. Staff say wear on road paint is “accelerated” where traffic volumes are high and snow, salt and grit further limit durability. The city’s pavement marking program runs until mid-November, with staff restriping over 5,500 kilometres of existing roadway, 6,500 intersections and thousands of special markings. Some councillors have previously raised concerns about the fading white and yellow road markings on city streets. Coun. Tim Tierney, who chairs the public works and infrastructure committee, said last year that a “lower quality of paint” is requiring the city to paint two or three times a year. According to the City of Ottawa’s website, the city uses MMA (methyl methacrylate) paint and acetone-based and water-based paints. The city says MMA paint is “high durable, having potential to reduce the workload of the annual maintenance period over time.” The acetone is used in cooler spring and fall months, and the water-based paint is used during warmer months.
