Overnight striping to begin in area cities

The Missouri Department of Transportation's Southeast District will kick off nighttime road striping operations in Southeast Missouri cities and towns in mid-July. State routes in Jackson, Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Sikeston and Dexter will be re-striped, according to a MoDOT news release. The work will take place from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. to help reduce the impact on traffic. Striping will begin July 18 and should be completed in about three weeks.

MoDOT asks drivers who come upon slow-moving caravans of trucks to slow down and use caution. Striping trains consist of three to five vehicles and can stretch over one-half mile while moving 8 to 12 mph, the release says. Rain or very damp conditions will cancel or cut short striping work.

MoDOT offers drivers the following safety tips:

• Be patient if you encounter MoDOT striping crews and give them the space to do their job safely.
• Slow down as soon as you see the lights and signs and keep your distance until it is safe to go around the trucks.
• On four-lane divided highways, pull around the striping train by merging carefully into the open lane, passing all the trucks in the train before moving back into the driving lane.
• On two-lane highways, stay behind the last truck in the striping train. This vehicle is placed well behind the striping truck to give the new paint the few minutes it needs to dry. MoDOT crews will pull off the road where it is safe to do so to let congestion clear.
• MoDOT uses water-based paint in all its highway operations. If you drive through wet paint, clean your car as quickly as possible with a high-powered water hose, such as those used in car washes.

All work is weather permitting. Work zones will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use caution while traveling near those areas. For more information about these projects, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at (888) 275-6636 or visit www.modot.org/southeast.

— From the Missouri Department of Transportation