1. UDOT
  2. UDOT News

What are these Lines on the Highway!

The following is a guest post written by Vic Saunders. Vic was the Public Involvement Manager for all of Northern Utah including Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Morgan, Rich and Weber Counties.

Throughout the fall, winter and spring we get asked regularly at UDOT, “What are these lines on the highway?” Some people wonder if they were caused when some kind of machinery was dragged down the road and left these lines in the pavement. Others wonder if it is some new kind of lane striping.

The truth is, these lines are known as “Drill Lines.” They are evidence that your local maintenance team has been out on the roadway preparing for an approaching winter storm. When UDOT weather forecasters tell us that a winter storm approaching the Beehive State is about 72 hours away, our maintenance crews hit the roads and spray a brine solution on the roadway. This solution helps prevent the snow from forming ice and sticking to the asphalt or concrete road surface like glue. If that happens, it is very difficult to remove and can be a factor in traffic movement and other incidents during and after the storm.

As the snow begins to fall, the moisture in it interacts with the brine solution sprayed on the road, and a liquid barrier is formed. This saline barrier helps prevent ice formation until our snow plows can get out there and plow it all away.

And what about those Drill Lines? The lines are sprayed on the roadway by the trucks laying down this brine solution. They are an indicator to the driver of the spraying vehicle that the spraying process is going well, and that the spray nozzles are working properly.

So, now you know! Those lines on the road are just further evidence that UDOT is working hard to make sure the roads are safe for Utah drivers.

Tags: , , , ,

Share this article to your social network: