Valley drivers may be seeing pink while driving on area roadways.

But the pink paint on road signs isn't the work of a graffiti artist. The pink patches painted on street signs along some state routes, US Routes, and Interstates in the Valley — including sections of State Route 45 and State Route 46 — were actually painted by the Ohio Department of Transportation.

21 News reached out to ODOT to find out what the pink patches mean.

Justin Chesnic, public information officer for ODOT District 4, says that pink paint is part of a road sign replacement project.

Chesnic said that road signs along US routes, state routes, and Interstates are replaced approximately every 15 to 20 years by ODOT to ensure adequate reflectivity.

Chesnic said ODOT is currently replacing 215 lane miles in Portage, Summit, and Mahoning counties at an estimated cost of $1,165,725, approximately $5,422 per mile.

ODOT contractors mark all road markers, including intersecting road signs, when replacing signs during this project. The project also includes verifying that there are no utility conflicts or concerns and then replacing the old signs with new signs.