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    Have you ever been part of a new construction project at the end of which the striping subcontractor performed less than adequately? My guess is nearly all airports have run into an unqualified contractor at some point in time. I've heard stories about worst-case scenarios where contractors have been thrown off of the project for being inept. Subpar striping can make an otherwise good project look bad, leaving the airport holding the bag.

    Often, the airport or engineer doesn't want to deal with the contractor any longer so they live with the poor results or call their maintenance team to finish the job. Either way, the contractor's warranty isn't exercised and the airport inherits the poor job.

    When the contractor-applied markings fail, sometimes in short order, in-house crews are called in to maintain the area. Perhaps the markings aren't straight, or aren't regular, or aren't the correct dimensions. Meaning, the in-house crews may just be maintaining markings that were incorrect to begin with.

    Further, the original contractor that started the mess has since bid low on other projects and painted more airports. What do you think the chances are those projects were any different? In these instances the contractor must be held accountable for poor worksmanship - otherwise their methods won't change - and unknowing airports will continue to lose.

    How can airports protect their investment? How can design/build engineers ensure their clients are going to get a quality marking project? How can airports take control to inherit good markings rather than poor markings?

    Hire an unbiased third party to assist in writing enhanced specifications in the design stage of the project, and provide quality control in the marking application stage of the project. Expectations should be higher with respect to quality of worksmanship. Markings are an incidental portion of a new construction project - but the impact they have on aesthetics and airfield safety is anything but incidental. Take control: assure your airport is getting what it's paying for.

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