New highway lines in Clark County wash away in rain

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Rain washed away seven miles' worth of fresh highway paint in north Clark County last week.

The incident occurred Wednesday, after a crew of six state transportation workers had spent much of the day carefully restriping the centerline and fog lines on seven miles of Highway 503 between Lewisville Park and Amboy. They paused as a soft rain began falling in the afternoon.

Workers were using a new water-based paint designed to work in cold weather, but on Wednesday the rain revealed it was a bad batch.

Motorists called the state Department of Transportation (DOT) office in Vancouver to report that all the fresh paint was swiftly going the way of a first-grader's watercolor — including areas painted hours before.

Dan Gruenberg, maintenance supervisor for the DOT in Vancouver, said the paint manufacturer, whom he would not identify, agreed to swap out an entire truckload — 2,940 gallons — included in the batch.