Pavement Marking in Somerville

Pavement markings, also called pavement striping, lane markings, or street paint, come in a range of colors, including white, yellow, tan, red, and green, and serve many purposes including crosswalks, double yellow center lines, bike and bus lanes, as well as various symbols such as bike riders, turn arrows, and informational text. 

To ensure they remain visible over time, the City of Somerville uses high-quality, durable materials. Markings vary in thickness and application method depending on their function and location.

Paint: A cost-effective and quick-drying solution, commonly used for temporary applications or locations where asphalt quality does not allow the implementation of more durable materials. Paint applications are found on crosswalks, bike lanes, clear corners, and centerlines. 

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Thermoplastic: A long-lasting material that is heat-applied to the pavement, providing durability in high-traffic areas. Thermoplastic markings are more durable than paint markings and can last up to 10 times longer. Thermoplastic is commonly found on newly paved roads, crosswalks, bike lane edges, clear corners, and centerlines.   

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Preform Thermoplastic: Pre-cut markings that are applied using heat are most commonly seen as symbols such as bike riders, arrows, and letters. 

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Methyl Methacrylate (MMA): A highly durable material often applied to green bike lanes and blue accessible spaces. MMA markings are more durable than paint markings but can only be applied on even smooth surfaces or new pavements.  

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Ruby Lake: Colored crushed glass aggregate from Ruby Lake Glass is a durable, high friction surface treatment for road markings commonly used on red bus lanes in the Greater Boston area, including in Somerville.   

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The team identifies markings that require repair or replacement based on their existing condition. In addition to weekly inspections conducted by the Traffic Engineer, we also consider feedback from constituents. The City’s on-call pavement marking contractor applies new markings weekly during nighttime hours from April to November.

Temporary partial road closures are often needed for the application of pavement markings and nighttime installation reduces the impact to the traveling public and avoids conflicts with construction that occurs during regular daytime hours throughout the City.

Although operations are mostly quiet, residents may experience noise disturbance for a short period of time. Noise disturbance is due to equipment used mostly when markings need to be removed. The vehicle lights may also cause some visual disturbance while crews perform the markings installation. 

Maintenance refresh is planned at the following locations:

• Tan curb bumpouts and red-backed crosswalks citywide
• Miscellaneous paint crosswalks citywide
• Bike lanes
  • Summer St (Willow Ave to Belmont St)
  • Willow Ave (Elm St to Highland Ave)
  • Broadway (Packard Ave to Cedar St)
  • Central St (Somerville Ave to Summer St)
  • Cameron Ave (Holland St to Tannery Brook Row)
• Clear Corners refresh on Broadway (Teele Sq to Ball Sq)
• “No Bikes” markings on sidewalks in business districts citywide

New markings slated for installation around the city include:

• Yellow markings on newly installed speed humps citywide
• Miscellaneous new crosswalks citywide
• Clear Corners
  • on Medford St from Partridge Ave to Walnut St  
  • on Summer St from Windom St to Belmont St
  • The changes are expected to start late Summer. Parking restrictions will be implemented at selected intersections. For additional traffic calming efforts, please visit somervillema.gov/trafficcalming.  

To report maintenance observations, please contact 311 via phone call, text, email, or using the app.