Officials Concerned About Shortages of Road Paint

State transportation officials are concerned that shortages of the paint used for road stripes could slow highway construction this summer, CNN reported.

Companies have told the Associated General Contractors of America that they cannot start projects or finish current ones because of shortages, CNN reported on its Web site.

The problem is two-fold because two major components of the acrylic paint used  — methyl methacrylate and titanium dioxide — are in short supply, CNN reported, citing AGC.

That shortage is in large part because a Texas plant owned by Dow Chemical, which is the largest supplier of highway paint, experienced issues a few weeks ago that resulted in low production rates, CNN said.

The lack of new paint could raise safety concerns on roadways and around construction sites, CNN reported, citing state transportation officials.