I just picked up this from Alderperson Alison Leary’s Facebook post:
A message from Bill Paille, the Director of Transportation On why they do line painting at night. I heard them on Chapel Street last night.
The reason we paint at night is because traffic is light and less likely to run over fresh paint which gets messy. Also, less people which also makes it easier and faster complete. On a typical night we can paint several miles of centerline/edge line and 10-20 crosswalks, depending upon the location. If we did this work during the day, production would suffer and we would likely need more police details and markings would get run over and then we’re grinding off and repainting…more cost and headaches we certainly do not need…
Just to clarify…
The only overtime the City is paying for night time painting is for the Police Detail (s) and that is a minimum 4 hours per the Police Department but typically 8 hours as we try to maximize the painting time. We typically only need one detail.
If one of my engineering staff or I has to be out there to oversee the work, we are not paid at all as we are salaried employees.
The City painting contractor is paid by the linear foot for long lines (i.e. centerline and edge line) and linear foot for crosswalks which are 12” wide and vary in length per their contract with the City. The City is applying epoxy paint along all concrete and most asphalt surface areas at a cost of $0.30 or $0.35 per foot for edge and center lines respectively and thermoplastic paint at all crosswalks on asphalt surfaces at a cost of $1.30 per foot. A typical crosswalk will cost approximately $130 – $150. Since April this year, the City has painted over 75 miles or roadway and nearly 800 crosswalks and we still have several more nights of work remaining before it gets too cold and we have to shut down for the winter. Then we pick it up again in the spring.
This work is yielding excellent results as we are using a highly reflective, more durable paint that will last many years as opposed to just one year. We are also planning to use other products next year that will make our village centers, school zones and intersections more visible and safe for all users such as resin imprint and inlay tape.
So, a little rumbling in the middle of the night and a bunch of us ‘elves’ running around the City is making our street safer…I hope the residents of Newton now understand where and how their tax dollars are being well spent.
I’ve seen these folks working at night. They’re doing a great job making our streets and crosswalks safer.
Oak was blocked off last night at 8:30 by a police car with flashing lights. Drove down there tonight and realized that it must have been for the yellow lines. It was perfect, smooth as velvet with lines as bright as a school bus. Made me wish I knew how to skateboard.
This is a great example of the awesome amount of planning and execution that goes on behind the scenes in Public Works and in particular transportation. Bill Paille and his team continue to make a positive difference in community safety. Also important to note the excellent detective work of Alderman Ted Hess-Mahan who initiated the investigation into the night humming noises in West Newton, which led to Bill coming clean about their great works.
Agreed with Ald. Cote. But it wasn’t always this way. The contractors used to just do their best to follow the existing lines, sometimes getting it wrong. Bill and team have put a lot of effort into picking the best materials, overseeing the contracted crews, planning out the best use of the markings, coordinating with construction crews, etc.
Jim, no humblebrag here. It was someone on the West Newton listserve who cracked the case, after you and I exhausted every other possibility with various city departments. But I do want to take this opportunity to give a shout out to Bill Paille, Newton’s transportation director, and to Dave Turocy, head of DPW, and to their staffs who do a terrific job keeping this city running and take care of all those things we take for granted, like the streets, sidewalks, traffic lights, snow removal, stormwater, sewer, and, yes, street painting. It is a never ending job but they do it professionally and competently. They do not get much thanks for doing it well, and often only hear from aldermen and citizens when something breaks or doesn’t gets fixed. Thank you all for your commitment to our city.
I would also give a shout of praise here to our Mayor who promised to use the $1million raised in the over-ride for the DPW to improve our roadways. It is clear that this money is being well spent and where promised!