Brian,
Road striping is a bit of a different animal than parking lot striping. In some ways it is easier, like the fact that it usually requires no layout and it requires very little detail work and is mostly long line. But in some ways it is more difficult, like that you will need to add reflective media (glass beads) and insure you follow the city, state and federal specifications and the very important MOT (maintenance of traffic).
I personally have been in the maintenance and marking industry for about 21 years, first as a road striper in south Florida. I would be glad to assist you in anyway I can from this experience.
Quick answers to your questions.
Measuring the job… A wheel can work but you need a quality one that can handle the speeds. There is also FastMeasure which I have never used but hear very good things about. But in my experience I have found that the city usually has the prints of the roads with marking details. You can also use Google Maps, IPave, or a new Android App I have found called Planimeter ($1.99) to measure lines and count detail items like arrows and messages.
Pricing the job… I have never priced such a job by the gallon. Most agencies like it priced “lump-sum in place”. Meaning one price for all the work. The best for you is to break out the job by the item (6″lane line, Arrows, Messages, 24″ stop bar etc) put the estimated quantities and the price per unit. Then note that this calculation is an estimate and the numbers may increase or decrease. This way if you are in the middle of the job and the engineer wants you to add in the side street you can do so and get paid for it. If you have to do a hard Lump-Sum you need to insure that you put exactly the area and items you are going to mark. I have seen several lose their butt by not doing so. The agency is not usually trying to screw you but it is easy to have a misunderstanding. Oh and don’t forget the cost of the beads!
Well I could go on but this is the experience gained wisdom and knowledge I can share. You are welcome to call our office at 888-717-7771. You can speak to a number of people like Monika, Steve, Josh, Brian or myself.
Good luck!
