Line painting of priority roads in Orillia starts tonight

For immediate release (May 18, 2016) – Line painting of priority roads throughout Orillia will start this evening,  Wednesday, May 18, 2016.

The contractor will start on the following priority roads: Coldwater Street, Westmount Drive, Memorial Avenue, and Atherley Road. Spring sand cleanup continues and is expected to be completed the second week of June, at which time line painting throughout the City will resume.

“I’d like to thank Orillia residents for their patience as City staff have prepared local streets for the start of line painting this season. I, like many of our residents, am looking forward to line painting beginning on priority roads tonight. It is our hope that a second application of line paint this fall will benefit our drivers next spring,” said Mayor Steve Clarke.

In the 2016 budget, Council approved additional funds for a second line painting application in September on select arterial and collector roads throughout Orillia. This second application is a pilot project that will allow the City to evaluate if the durability and longevity of line markings is increased.

In 2012, federal regulations were amended regarding volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration limits for traffic marking coatings. Since then, the City of Orillia, like other municipalities, has been using waterborne traffic paint. Municipalities contacted by City staff also indicate they are experiencing less longevity compared to the solvent-based traffic paint.

The City of Orillia also uses a higher ratio of sand to salt during winter operations than many other municipalities.  This limits the amount of salt getting into Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, but results in more abrasion of road lines. Additionally, the snow pack that builds up throughout winter increases abrasive content.

The City of Orillia is a city of 31,000 people in the heart of Ontario’s Lake Country on the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Visit our website at orillia.ca.

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George Bowa
Director of Public Works
705-329-7246
gbowa@orillia.ca

Jennifer Ruff
Manager of Communications
705-325-8929
705-238-9209
jruff@orillia.ca