Route 51 Road Maintenance Leaves Some Vehicles Splattered With Paint
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A paint job on Route 51 in the South Hills turned into a nightmare for some drivers on Wednesday.
Bill Roetter says his Chevy Silverado is one of the vehicles that got hit with paint while driving along the stretch of Route 51 in Brentwood.
"Paint down here on my step risers, paint here on my wheel well," said Roetter. "We're stuck cleaning up the mess for three hours when I should be at work."
Roetter showed KDKA some before pictures of his truck, before he did the best he could to get the paint off.
He says he was headed south on Route 51 when he came across a PennDOT crew painting yellow and white lines on the road.
"They were spraying the road - no cones, no nothing," said Roetter. "You come up around the turn, they had three trucks bumper to bumper. Nobody could even see that they were spraying the road. By the time you got there, the damage is already done."
"When I turned into the vets and got out of car, the whole side of the car had yellow paint on it and I got paint on my slacks," said Robin O'Black, another driver whose vehicle was splattered with paint.
O'Black says she didn't even realize PennDOT was on the road.
"All inside the wheel wells here, some on tire here," said O'Black.
Some wax and Armor All did the job, but there's still some paint on the tires and some other spots.
"I would like PennDOT to detail my car," she said.
KDKA's Amy Wadas put in a call to PennDOT Wednesday night. They said it's necessary to paint these lines before it gets too cold.
PennDOT says if paint got on your car, to wash it as quickly as possible. Put WD-40 on it for one to two hours, then use soft rag to scrub off. Use petroleum jelly if the paint was on for several days, then pressure wash it. Don't use a solvent or cleanser or it could damage the car.
You can also file a claim against PennDOT District 11 by calling (412) 429-5000.
For statewide calls, you can call 1-800-FIXROAD. This will put you in touch with maintenance in your area.
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