New York City transportation officials have deployed a high-pressure water truck, nicknamed the Stripe Hog, to remove old street markings and prepare for new bus lanes and safety improvements. Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration is redesigning a traffic-choked Midtown Manhattan avenue to bring faster bus service. The Stripe Hog, operated by a crew of six workers, crawled along Lexington Avenue, erasing old curbside bus lanes frequently blocked by parked cars.

Using 15 tiny nozzles mounted under a spinning disc, the machine blasts away faded paint and sucks up debris like an industrial anteater, leaving a clean surface. Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn stated the $605,000 Stripe Hog allows the department to work smarter and deliver projects faster. The city faces growing safety concerns, with 25 e-bike and e-scooter riders killed this year, up from 15 last year.

Previously, workers used slower, dustier hand-held machines. The Stripe Hog, manufactured by Hog Technologies in Stuart, Florida, has been used nationally and by the Port Authority to clean airport runways. On Lexington Avenue, traffic device maintainer Kareem Mutawakkil directed the operator, noting the machine's precision requires controlling movement, rotation, and speed simultaneously.

The Department of Transportation hopes the tool will enable them to repaint dozens of redesigned streets in coming months.