JOHNSTOWN —
Sean McAfee of Johnstown did a double take on his way home from work late last week.
What caught the biker’s attention was a dead raccoon in the middle of Franklin Street. Not that unusual – except that this racoon had been painted over by a road crew.
“When I saw it, I almost wrecked my motorcycle because I was laughing so hard,” McAfee said.
According to a PennDOT spokesman, the incident Thursday, while embarrassing, was unavoidable.
“They did try to stop the paint gun,” District 9 traffic engineer John Ambrosini said.
“But with the amount of congestion Thursday, the squirrelly geometry of the road and the size of equipment, they couldn’t turn around to go back and fix the mistake.”
Ambrosini said a foreman vehicle usually travels in front of or behind the painting vehicle to clean up or move any obstructions.
But that morning there was no accompanying foreman vehicle.
The paint crew saw the dead critter, he said. But it was too late to stop the double yellow lines from running up the back of the raccoon.
A two-foot break in the lines shows where the crew apparently tried to avoid the deceased animal.
“We were out the next morning to clean it up,” Ambrosini said.
An unpainted spot is all that remains of where the unfortunate animal met its demise. Ambrosini said that he is unsure when a crew will repair the less-than-perfect paint job.
He said that the problem occurs “pretty frequently.”
But, he said, paint crews takes their jobs very seriously.
“Painting the yellow lines over the existing lines is not easily done.”
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat print edition.
Click here to subscribe to The Tribune-Democrat e-edition.
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Jersey Shore Open for Business
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
