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       In October, dozens of New Jersey cities painted blue lines on busy downtown roads in support of law enforcement.
       But the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration said the practice is unsafe and that cities should find other ways to honor the men and women in uniform.
       ”There are many appropriate and proper ways to provide recognition services to the public that do not involve modifying traffic control devices that could expose road users to risk due to misunderstanding of their meaning,” the FHA said in a Dec. 8 letter to the Somerset County Engineering Department.
       ”The use of the blue line as a centerline marking is not in accordance with the MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Street and Highway Traffic Control Devices),” the letter states.
       The Federal Housing Administration says the space between the double yellow lines should be left blank. The MUTCD says black paint can be used in some cases “when light-colored pavement does not provide adequate contrast with the markings.”
       The FHWA letter was written in response to an October 2016 letter from Somerset County Chief Engineer Matthew D. Loper. The letter said Loper was seeking clarification on federal regulations for painting blue lines on roads.
       The letter does not condemn support for law enforcement officers. “We recognize the impact of expressing support for law enforcement officers and value their contributions to society,” the letter says.
       When cities first began painting blue lines on county roads, local officials claimed they were doing so with the county’s permission.
       In October, in Mantua, Gloucester County, Police Chief Rodney Sawyer said the city painted blue lines in parks rather than on roads to comply with Federal Housing Administration (FHA) MUTCD requirements.
       It is unclear whether local municipalities will be penalized for failing to clean the blue line. A Federal Housing Administration spokesman could not be reached by phone Sunday morning.
       New Jersey Department of Transportation spokesman Steven Shapiro said in a statement to NJ 101.5, which first reported the FHA letter, that the state department “follows the guidelines set forth in the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices” when it comes to road markings.
       Union County Engineering Director Joseph Graziano sent an email to police chiefs asking them to remove the blue line, according to NJ 101.5.
       Howell Police Chief Andrew Kudrick said Monmouth County did not notify him that the city’s blue line was being lifted.
       ”As ridiculous as it sounds, if necessary, we would paint over about 200 feet of fishing line,” Kudrick said. “I would paint the entire parking lot at the police station blue.”