City Line Marking Program Ahead of Schedule

The City of Saskatoon is three weeks ahead of schedule with its annual spring line marking program.

“We are pleased with the progress so far this spring and are on pace to complete all locations before the end of June.” says Angela Gardiner, Director of Transportation. “Every year, we paint 500 lane kilometres of pavement markings and more than 600 crosswalks. In about four weeks, we’ve already completed approximately 30 per cent of pavement markings and 64 per cent of crosswalks.”

The mild, dry weather and improvements to the program have allowed crews to paint close to 150 kilometres of Saskatoon streets since April 6. The City is projecting to complete 1,000 kilometres of line painting in 2016.

The City will continue the application of durable markings as well this season, which are more visible and last longer than regular road paint. These markings can last from seven to ten years and are applied to high-traffic streets.

“We are using a new durable-marking product this year that is expected to provide the same life expectancy as what we’ve been using, at a lesser cost. The new product was applied on 3rd Avenue between 23rd Street and 24th Street,” said Gardiner.

Road markings are coordinated with road resurfacing work in order to minimize traffic disruptions, with high-traffic streets painted at night. City streets already completed include Spadina Crescent, Kerr Road, Lowe Rod, Heal Ave, Berini Drive, Nelson Road, and Kenderdine Road.

Crews paint road markings by priority each year:

• Lane lines, edge lines and center lines are painted three times per year at high-traffic volume locations
• Crosswalks are painted at least twice a year (spring and fall)
• Shared bike lanes markings (sharrows) and chevrons (near freeway ramps) are painted once a year
• Road markings are repainted if they are removed  due to paving, patching etc.

For the safety of workers, please slow down when approaching work zones and line painting equipment, and give the workers the room they need to get the job done safely and efficiently.

For more information about line painting visit saskatoon.ca/betterroads