North Carolina Puts $5 Million Worth of Glass Beads on Highway Lines To Make Them Easier to See

State officials invested $5 million to upgrade road markings with glass beads across five counties. The project aims to boost nighttime visibility on major highways, with Mecklenburg County among the targeted areas.

"It's reflective, so at night, ideally, your headlights should reflect off those glass beads and reflect back to you so you can see the paint in the road," said Goodwin, according to WCNC Charlotte.

Crews installed fresh markings on I-77, stretching from South Carolina to exit 36 in Iredell County. This work spanned seven years.

Wet conditions affect the beads' performance. A layer of water blocks light from bouncing back to drivers, making lines harder to spot during storms.

Six major Charlotte roads have received upgrades since 2019. Workers refreshed I-485 between I-77 and I-85 in southwest Charlotte. New markings went down on I-85 through Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties.

The updates stretched across Independence Boulevard from I-277 to Harris Boulevard. Fresh beads now mark Brookshire Boulevard between I-85 and I-77. I-277's John Belk Freeway and Brookshire Freeway sections also received improvements.

These glass beads won't last forever. "Simple wear and tear from all the vehicles, and also when you have snowplows, sometimes they can break the glass beading, and they don't last forever either," Goodwin said.

Rising traffic pushed officials to act fast. "Since we see so much volume on our highways and we continue to see that year over year, we have to increase our efforts to refresh those," Goodwin said.

Construction continues along I-485. Teams are adding express lanes while installing new road markers between exits 51 and 67.