Several vehicles damaged by paint dripping from the top of the Sherman Minton Bridge

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some drivers said paint has been dripping from the top of the Sherman Minton Bridge, creating spatters on dozens of cars below. It happened to some people Wednesday, while others said it happened to them a few months ago.

Thousands of cars travel across the Sherman Minton bridge daily.

"I commute every day to New Albany from Louisville," Mike Scheser said.

But he didn't expect what happened recently.

"As I come across the Sherman Minton Bridge, I saw a splatter on my windshield and I thought it had started to rain a little bit — maybe a little drizzle — and when I ran the wipers it kind of smeared a little bit," he said. "And I said, 'Well, that's not rain.'"

It wasn't.

When he got to work, he noticed droplets of paint on his car and he still can't get it off.

"It was like, 'Oh my God. What is this?'" he said. "My second thought was, 'How am I gonna get this off?'"

And he's not the only one. Dozens of people have posted pictures on social media with the same problem.

A WDRB news crew drove across the bridge Thursday, and you can see the paint splashed on the median in at least two different spots.

The spokesperson for the Sherman Minton Renewal project sent us a statement:

"Recently some vehicles have encountered dripping paint while driving across the Sherman Minton Bridge. The contractor team has reviewed the issue and determined this was caused by a mechanical failure within the paint system that was quickly remedied.
Barriers and paint containment systems are in place to help contain materials. Contractors take precautions to prevent issues from happening in active construction zones. But at times incidents like this may occur, and we apologize for any inconvenience to affected drivers.
Drivers whose vehicles were impacted by this short-term situation are encouraged to call 1-855-INDOT4U or visit www.indot4u.com to share details of your situation with the customer service representative."

Scheser still feels nervous about the bridge and wonders if he should take a different route until the project is over.

"This kind of worries me as this project continues," he said. "What else is going to happen? Could something fall off the bridge? There's a lot of work happening. There's a lot of action happening on that bridge. Now, I'm kind of concerned. What's next?"