Officials said cool temperatures and high humidity are to blame for keeping the yellow paint from drying along Meadow Drive in the City of North Tonawanda Tuesday night.
The paint was reapplied to the double yellow solid lines along a mile stretch in the area. It resulted in a messy commute for thousands of drivers Wednesday morning. “It was starting to pool up and people were getting it on their cars as well,” said motorist, Austin Tylec.
According to North Tonawanda Department of Public Works Superintendent, Brad Rowles the routine maintenance usually sets in about 45 minutes. This time though, it didn't. “I think our problem we had last night was humidity. So, it didn't set. So that's when we started to find we had a problem and then we had a strong storm move through and it just didn't set well enough before the traffic got on it.”
Rowles said traffic was reduced to one lane. “We kept them away from the paint that way and we also slowed it down which made the cars safer for the people coming in the single lane. The guys did a good job handling the traffic and it was very, very busy.”
“They had people power washing the cars down the one lane which was sort of funny but irritating in the same way,” Tylec explained. “It's like, they made the mistake, they're trying to fix it which I understand. But, free car washes for everyone I guess.”
Tylec also got paint on his car. But, it came off quickly. Still, he said he doesn't understand why weather conditions weren't looked into more seriously before crews took to the streets. “We want them to keep doing what they're doing just do it the right way so it's not wasting our money so it's not wasting city workers time.”
D.P.W. crews are holding a meeting Thursday to figure out a better plan for future road maintenance. If you drove through the paint, call the department at 716-695-8585.
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