SWMBO wanted me to go on one of her walks Saturday. About a mile from the house on the way back we were passing a newly constructed building. Fresh curb and gutter and brand new sidewalk. All over the new concrete were utility paint marks. They were everywhere.
Also next to the new paint is a big sign about the street being closed for the work week.?ÿ
I figure they are going to do some work on the street; it needs a refresh.
Talking with a guy at work and it seems the new building going up along the street is doing tie-ins and needs to cut the street.
The new building about 1000' south of where the paint markings are.
They painted a quarter mile of street for this pavement cut. Maybe a better way of saying it is they defaced a quarter mile.
That few weeks old concrete.............
I would not be happy if I owned that building.?ÿ The concrete is needlessly covered with paint splatters a few feet apart.
I have a dollar for the locates were done by an old GIS map and they are mis-located.?ÿ
@MightyMoe, I totally agree with you on this!?ÿ Can't count how many times I've seen concrete curbs, walks, and driveway entrances marked up with paint from underground marking.?ÿ Why can't they understand that this paint stays for years.?ÿ Paint the asphalt, put in flags, use lumber crayons, try different paint, whatever.
The contractor should have painted the work limits or met the locator on site when he did the locates.?ÿ If you're the one responsible for a utility hit or worse a death you want highly visible markings.?ÿ?ÿ
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I don't know why more people or municipalities aren't complaining about the paint that utility locations services place. I've seen new stamped colored concrete covered in paint, I consider it a form of graffiti.
I don't know why they aren't required to use a temporary paint. Krylon makes one that last for 30 days or more is removeable using water and a wire brush.
I've also seen surveyors' that mark every topo point on hard surfaces with a paint dot, why not use keel?
unnecessary use of paint is a pet peeve of mine
Locators out here seem to use the same paint that survey supply companies sell, and that stuff burns off in a couple years is all.?ÿ If they were using latex house paint or something then I think that would be a problem.
Locates are good for 14 days.?ÿ No need for the markings to last significantly longer than that.
If it was for a very limited time frame we used to use spray chalk.?ÿ Sprays the same as paint but disappears with the first decent rain.?ÿ A little more expensive but worth it in some locations.?ÿ Lumber crayons (or keel as we called it) can be a decent substitute in places.?ÿ I've used paint sticks and a scribe for etching points on concrete, still "permanent" but much better controlled.
Andy
I love spray chalk.?ÿ It actually last quite a while.?ÿ The first time I ever used it was on an airport project laying out a 25' grid for tolerance check on a new tarmac.?ÿ No sooner than I was finished marking a street sweeper came along to clean it.?ÿ I was sure that all of my work was as good as gone.?ÿ To my surprise it survived.?ÿ I have had it last several months during the dry season.?ÿ During the wet season it last long enough for utility markings.?ÿ
Surveyor should not cast the first stone on plastering the world with paint.?ÿ I can not tell how may places I see a white or pink paint dot at every location a crew took a shot.?ÿ If you can not keep track of the shots you took on a 10' radius curb return without painting them ALL then you need to find another career.?ÿ If you need to stop a line then mark it with chalk or keel, not marking paint.?ÿ There is nothing worse than seeing a new commercial site peppered in paint.?ÿ If I were the client I would be forcing the offending party to clean it up.?ÿ Without sufficient traffic, marking paint will last years.
At least the locates are somewhat useful.?ÿ
I've been anti-paint since the beginning of time.?ÿ Certainly no need to mark every turning point running levels or every topo shot with a daub. Construction work it's OK if you're marking cuts/fills etc. that'll be torn out within weeks.?ÿ Certainly not when placing boundary monuments; you're inviting vandalism by advertising.?ÿ Also when running section line do not paint up tree blazes, it hurts the tree's natural healing process.
Anyway, I respond because of a "I told you so" story.?ÿ I was working for a Highway dept. running precise levels on a 20 mile stretch of steep grade 2-lane through a State park and our "Geodetic" supervisor, a 40 year employee incompetent self proclaimed expert followed us around and painted arrows on the pavement and on the cut slopes to where we'd set bronze disks in bedrock for benchmarks, so they "can be easily recovered."?ÿ I vehemtly told him to not do that.?ÿ The State park had a fit claiming visual damage and insisted on compensation or rectification. We all got interviewed (declared innocent) and the survey dept. head made "Mr. Geodetic" spend a few weeks driving the route with cans of MEK, wire brushes and rags to clean up his mess.?ÿ Best thing is we did the survey in spring so Mr. Geodetic got to do the cleanup in 90-105?ø weather in summer.?ÿ Karma is a bitch.
I deplore painting everything in sight.?ÿ
I've been using the same can of paint since before COVID.?ÿ The only time I use it is for a brief paint spot on pavement at a section corner...if it's not plainly visible to a trained eye.?ÿ ?ÿAnd the can is only half-empty BTW.
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I use far more paint on lath than anything else.?ÿ Many times we are setting lath along a straight line where a new pasture fence is to be constructed.?ÿ Typically, curious and hungry cattle are drawn to waving flagging and eat it.?ÿ Frequently, they will also snap the lath in two leaving only a short and hard to see stub.
I had trouble with the cows nibbling on flagging.?ÿ I've even seen cow pies with bits of flagging (?!).?ÿ ?ÿ I got to noticing they chewed on some and not the other.?ÿ Closer investigation revealed they chewed up the cheap plastic stuff from the lumber yard and not the "good" kind.?ÿ The good kind being (and forgive me for not remembering the manufacturer) the thicker stuff that has impressions on it of the State of Texas all over it.
I purged the truck of everything but the "good stuff".?ÿ Haven't had any attacked by bovine terrorists for a few years now.
