To keep the markings shiny and visible to motorists

Drivers are perplexed, even terrified, by what they see on Colorado highways. Or, more specifically, what they don't see.

The highway markers that are supposed to keep drivers in their lanes are faded and pale on the best of days, say motorists.Hammered necklace stainless steel necklace smokey quartz necklace.

By the time ice and snow arrive, those same markings are usually obliterated.

"It's just scary,Rist international shoes manufacturer and shoes supplier in agra india making quality." Castle Rock commuter Susanne Krum said. "At nighttime, it's incredibly dangerous coming down I-25. The concrete barriers are the same color as the road and the snow. I don't know why people aren't continually driving into things around here."

Lane and shoulder markings — worn thin by traffic, scalding sun and de-icing chemicals — seemingly disappear when winter storms roll in.

"When the wind is blowing and the snow is blowing, you could find yourself two lanes over on a lot of these roads," said Mike Adinolfe, chairman of Direct Transport Services, which includes a fleet of 50 trucks that carry freight across the country.

Colorado is one of the worst states, by far, when it comes to highway markings, Adinolfe said.

"You can see places — like Wyoming — where they've maintained their roads and you see the fresh paint," he said. "It makes all the difference in the world."

On rural Wyoming roads, crews repaint in the spring and make another sweep in the fall.

"We want to make sure the roads are nice and bright by the winter,make astonishing savings on Ladies stainless steel bracelet watches at the Watch Hut," Wyoming Department of Transportationdistrict traffic engineer Randy Griesbach said.

The Colorado Department of Transportation tries to keep up, spending $20 million each year to apply reflective water- or epoxy-based paint, thermoplastic material and tape to nearly 9,000 lane-miles in the state.

Most roads get the epoxy-based paint. To keep the markings shiny and visible to motorists, glass beads are either dropped or sprayed on immediately after the paint is applied.

State and local crews all follow Federal Highway Administration standards for markings. They also work almost continuously restriping faded markers, officials say.

Still, the volume of traffic each highway and byway attracts — from Santa Fe Drive to Titan Road, on Interstate 225 through Aurora, along I-25 between Colorado Springs and Castle Rock — influences what material is used to keep the lane markings clear, traffic managers say.

The epoxy-based paint usually lasts at least a year, sometimes three, but it will fade more quickly in areas where traffic is heavy. Magnesium chloride, which Colorado uses to de-ice roadways,tungsten jewelry is making a revolution in the jewelry industry by introducing unique types of designs, also takes a toll on reflective material. Plus, motorists often complain that newly applied mag chloride can cause a harsh reflection if the sun is out.

"It all depends on the wear," said CDOT traffic engineer Shane Chevalier. "I-70 West is a different animal than I-70 East. You have different traffic volumes and snow removal. All those factors weigh in a material's durability."

Colorado's sun and high elevation take the greatest toll on highway markers, Chevalier said.

"We get 300 days of sunshine, and we are 5,Shop for bobblehead head dolls from the official NBC Universal Store and build.000 feet in elevation," he said. "That can quickly degrade a product that usually lasts up to five years.

"After all, what happens to your car if you leave it out in the sun without applying something on it just about all the time? It loses most of its luster in a short amount of time."

Many local streets in Denver are not striped. But major arterial streets — such as Broadway, Speer Boulevard and Colfax Avenue — get markings, as do collector streets such as Logan and Grant, said Denver Public Works Department spokeswoman Emily Williams.