Traverse City staff are evaluating the temporary lane restripings on Eighth Street after the new paint has begun peeling off in some sections and has disappeared entirely in others. Bike lane markings on the corridor are now nearly undetectable, and center turn lane markings are also quickly fading.

City Manager Jered Ottenwess tells The Ticker that the contractor that completed the work did so to Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) specifications, which was verified in-field by consultant URS Corporation. Ottenwess says the poor condition of the corridor concrete and the “harsh winter conditions” have contributed to the paint job's deterioration, though he adds the city is “not pleased with the paint that's been peeling off.”

“We're contacting the contractor...and we're in the process of developing a plan (to address the issue),” says Ottenwess. “For the most part, it's functioning properly even with the paint issues, other than a few issues that have been reported that we observed before and after the painting.”

Assistant City Manager Penny Hill told city commissioners last week that if the city requests the contractor to redo the paint restripings, “it will be at an additional cost to the city.”