CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Summer rain in North Carolina can make road signs difficult to read. The North Carolina Department of Transportation is taking special measures to mark roads that may be difficult to read during rain.
WCNC Charlotte has received several inquiries about the presence of reflective materials in highway markings.
”They’re reflective, so ideally at night the light from your headlights should reflect off these glass beads so you can see the paint on the road,” Goodwin said.
However, Goodwin said, when it rains, these beads are harder to see because the rain covers them and makes it harder for headlights to reflect off the glass.
”All vehicles are subject to normal wear and tear, and with snow blowers sometimes the glass beads can break and they don’t last forever, and that’s been the case for the last few years,” Goodwin said.
That’s why they have to constantly repaint the tracks. Goodwin said the North Carolina Department of Transportation spent $5 million last year repainting tracks in five counties, including Mecklenburg.
Over the past seven years, I-77 has been repaved and rerouted from the South Carolina line to Exit 36 in Iredell County.
”With the volume of traffic on our highways growing year over year, we have to step up our efforts to upgrade our highways,” Goodwin said.
Post time: Sep-16-2025