Drones may soon help WA clean up graffiti along state highways

Is it a bird, a plane? No, it’s a drone spraying paint over graffiti along Washington’s state roads. Washington may soon employ aerial drone technology to deal with a growing graffiti problem on highway infrastructure. Lawmakers this session passed a bill and set aside $1 million for a Department of Transportation pilot program focused on finding new ways to erase spray paint from road signs, walls and bridges. The proposal passed 96-1 in the House and 38-11 in the Senate with only Democrats opposed. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill into law last week. As the top Republican on the House Transportation Committee, bill sponsor Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, said he had spent time traveling up and down the state’s highways.  “It became clear to me that the graffiti on all of the beautiful work we’ve been doing is getting out of control,” Barkis said.  The amount the state spends on graffiti cleanup every year has been on the rise, hitting a peak in 2020 of more than $700,000. In the last two-year budget cycle, the state spent $1.4 million, according to the state Department of Transportation. The department said it has seen an increase in graffiti in recent years,...