Monday Blues: A Tale of Two Lines

 Back in February of 2019 I wrote about these lines on Mills Avenue just below Baseline. They were in some serious need of attention, particularly that section where they cross above the 210. Not by my prodding, the city repainted them soon after.

Well, fast forward two years and those lines are, again, showing some wear and tear. A few curious (or not) observations about them: First, you'll notice the outside line is far worse than the line closer to the curb - expected, of course, since that is the one likely to be most impacted by degradation from motor vehicle traffic. Two, that thicker, sparkly paint just does not seem to hold up as well as thinner stripes of paint - it seems like it should take more than a couple years before decomposition reaches this level. Three, the paint applied the last two times these lane markings were replace seems to adhere to asphalt better than it does concrete. Not that the street lines above and below the concrete overpass have weathered ideally, but they have held up far better.

And if you were wondering, yes that last observation is one I also made back in 2019. Perhaps a different mix is needed for the concrete portions? Or would that not be fiscally feasible?

The Monday Blues has been an occasional feature here at the blog since inception; the blues, an emotion, a color, a genre of music, with a cycling twist.