Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration promised to redesign this traffic-choked avenue in Midtown Manhattan to bring faster bus service.
Now, it was time to call in the Stripe Hog.
The new, high-pressure water truck — operated by a crew of six city transportation workers — crawled along Lexington Avenue on a recent morning, erasing every last trace of an old curbside bus lane that had been frequently blocked by parked cars and was being replaced by a new bus lane in the middle of the avenue.
With a deafening roar, the Stripe Hog blasted off the faded white paint with water shooting out from 15 tiny nozzles mounted underneath a spinning, Roomba-like disc that stuck out in front of the truck. Then, it sucked up the water and debris like a kind of industrial anteater, leaving behind only a clean, damp black patch in its wake.
The Department of Transportation deployed the hulking Stripe Hog for the first time last month as part of the city’s broader efforts to improve bus service and increase safety on its crowded streets.
“It may have a funny name, but the Stripe Hog will help us do some serious work,” said Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn. “We are always looking for new ways to work smarter, move faster and deliver for New Yorkers.”
The city has faced growing safety concerns after 25 riders of e-bikes and e-scooters were killed on the streets this year through Sept. 9, up from 15 deaths in the same period the year before. In addition, three riders on traditional bikes were killed, up from two deaths the year before.
Overall, there have been 140 traffic-related deaths this year, down from 146 deaths the year before. The number of pedestrian fatalities has fallen to 63 this year from 74 last year.
Mr. Flynn said the Stripe Hog, which cost $605,000, would allow the department to complete street safety projects, like new bus and bike lanes, faster and more efficiently. The department aims to repaint dozens of redesigned streets in coming months.
Previously, transportation workers had to use hand-held machines that look like lawn mowers with spinning metal blades to scrape old markings off the asphalt like a mechanical wire brush. That removal process, known as scarification, was slower and created vibrations and clouds of dust.
The Stripe Hog, which is manufactured by Hog Technologies in Stuart, Fla., has been used around the country — including by contractors working for New York City agencies — to remove markings for traffic lanes, crosswalks and construction on roads and highways. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has also dispatched the high-pressure water trucks to clean up rubber deposits left by airplane tires on runways at the region’s airports.
On Lexington Avenue the other day, Kareem Mutawakkil, a traffic device maintainer, stood in front of the Stripe Hog and helped direct a worker behind the wheel who moved a toggle stick to control the spinning disc in front. Mr. Mutawakkil motioned with his hands. The disc inched over to remove a white spot.
“It’s very precise,” Mr. Mutawakkil said. “You have to control movement, rotation and speed all at once so you’re juggling three things to get the truck to do exactly what you’re doing.”
Along the curb, another worker held up a plastic shield to catch any water spray or debris. Three more workers surrounded the Stripe Hog to make sure its path was clear.
Mr. Mutawakkil said the Stripe Hog had increased his crew’s productivity, though it had been a steep learning curve. The first day the Stripe Hog rolled out last month on 23rd Avenue in Astoria, Queens — in front of transportation officials who came to see the action — its front disc had stopped spinning.
So Mr. Mutawakkil’s crew had to step in to troubleshoot. After checking the Stripe Hog’s systems and parts, they were able to make an adjustment to get it working again.
“We had to become mechanics and engineers, and we had to fix the problem on the very first day,” he said. “This was baptism by fire.”
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