KDOT - Painting Inside the Lines One Mile at a Time
The Kane County Division of Transportation has brought pavement marking work in-house, and its new paint truck is already making its mark on County roads.
The truck, purchased this past year, requires a four-person crew: a driver, a paint-tank monitor, a person who makes sure the lines are straight and another crew member focused on safety. Together, they can paint an average of 15 to 20 miles of roadway a day.
And the new approach is saving the County money.
When the work was outsourced, the cost to the county just kept rising year after year. Doing the work in-house is estimated to bring substantial cost savings to the county. Savings that are expected to cover the cost of the new truck within its first full year of service.
“This gives us much more control over the work," says KDOT Maintenance Superintendent Mike Way.
That control matters. KDOT crews can adjust the thickness of the paint and the amount of reflective material used, helping produce markings that are designed to last longer and provide better visibility for motorists.
This year, the crew will concentrate on white pavement markings on county roads west of Route 47, Way said.
Next year, the work will expand to include white and yellow lines as well as “hand work" such as crosswalks, stop bars and other pavement markings.
The work is expected to continue through the end of October 2026, weather permitting.
Overall , KDOT crews will apply fresh paint markings to approximately 236 miles of county highways, primarily on rural routes. Another 17 miles will receive urethane pavement markings, a more durable material used primarily on higher-traffic roads.
So, how is it done? The work begins with a truck carrying hundreds of gallons of paint in large drums mounted on its bed. The markings can be controlled manually or automatically by an operator riding on the truck.
Paint travels through a series of hoses under air pressure and is applied to the pavement along with tiny glass beads that provide retroreflectivity, helping the lines shine brightly when illuminated by vehicle headlights.
The truck travels at about 12 mph, meaning the crew is steadily moving down the road while laying down fresh lines.
And the paint dries fast, generally in about five to seven minutes.
Trailing behind is another truck serving an important safety function to protect the crew members who ride on the lower level of the paint truck and are responsible for placing orange safety cones in work areas.
Here's the ask from drivers. If you see a big paint truck rolling slowly down a Kane County road, give it some room. There's a four-person crew behind the wheel, working to keep Kane County motorists, driving inside the lines.
