UDOT crews grind off 2 inches of pavement to clean up 500 gallons of paint

SALT LAKE CITY — Two inches of pavement is being removed on Interstate 80 after at least 500 gallons of paint was spilled on the roadway near Wanship in Summit County.

Crews had been re-striping the road Monday when a semi carrying huge metal pipes crashed into the paint truck. That’s when gallons of white and yellow paint exploded across the road.

“I mean… it was a huge mess.” Utah Department of Transportation’s public relations manager John Gleason said. “You’re talking about 250 gallons of white paint, 250 gallons of yellow paint, and 4,000 pounds of glass beads that were spread all across the road.”

The glass beads the paint truck carries are meant to be applied on top of the paint to make it reflective.

Since then, crews have been working to remove the paint, and Gleason says they now have a solution.

“We’re going to take off the top two layers, two inches of asphalt and then repave,” Gleason said.

Gleason says UDOT had considered pressure washing the road, but were worried it would damage the pavement.

Lanes will be closed intermittently throughout the day on Wednesday as crews remove and repave, with the goal of having the whole road back open by around 5 p.m.

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