By KEN CARPENTER
Great Bend Post
Barton County will be spending almost $108,000 to make sure county roads and highways are properly striped. The Barton County Commission approved the funding on Monday after County Engineer Barry McManaman told Commissioners that Straight-Line Striping in Grand Island, Nebraska was the only company that bid on the project.
"The work amounts to approximately 101 miles of road that need to be striped,” McManaman said. “The actual quantity of paint markings is 1.45 million lineal feet of stripings.”
McManaman noted that Straight-Line Striping has performed the service for Barton County for a number of years.
The work includes centerline and edge line striping. Glass beads are mixed in with the paint to improve retro-reflectivity.
McManaman said an official with Straight-Line Striping has expressed confidence that enough paint will be available.
"There are some contractors that are having trouble even getting the materials to do the 2021 striping. So in that respect, I think we’re fortunate to be able to go ahead and get it done.”
McManaman predicted the project should take less than two weeks to complete. It will begin when the County Road and Bridge Department finishes its annual road overlay work.