Ohio warns local agencies of road paint shortage

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — State officials are warning county engineers and local communities around Ohio about a national shortage of traffic striping paint that could affect road projects.

Scott Varner, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said Monday that officials are not anticipating a long-term problem. But he says contractors should order the paint early so they don’t find themselves at the end of a project with no way to give a road the necessary white and yellow lines.

A road-painting firm in the Dayton says the shortage has forced it to lay off three workers.

People in the industry say the paint is in short supply because some ingredients are harder to come by, including a chemical that makes white paint reflective and a yellow pigment resin made only in China.