There's a nationwide shortage of the paint and resin used on roads nationwide, and it's leaving some Alexandria area roads without stop lines, double yellow lines and lane markers.
Local and state officials are saying that combined lack of paint and resin — and difficulty hiring enough road crews — have resulted in many roads being left unpainted after they've been repaved or repaired.
Residents have complained about dangerous situations arising from unpainted stretches of Telegraph Road, Fort Hunt Road, Union Street in Old Town, Beauregard Street in Alexandria's West End and other major roadways.
"In the meantime, temporary squares of reflective tape have been applied to the pavement to delineate the lanes and several crosswalks with preformed thermo plastic were also installed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing and are working to get this matter resolved as soon as possible," the City of Alexandria's Transportation & Environmental Services staff wrote in a Facebook post this week. (Fairfax County is seeing similar delays for the same reasons.)
The CEO of Sherwin Williams, the major paint supplies company, told USA Today that there has been an increase in demand, but Hurricane Ida stopped production of some chemicals and resins needed to make paint. There is not much relief in sight: "The persistent and industry-wide raw material availability constraints and pricing inflation...have worsened, and we do not expect to see improved supply or lower raw material pricing in our fourth quarter as anticipated," he said.
In the meantime, drivers are reminded to slow down, try to stay in their lane and stop for pedestrians.
