The Illinois State Police are still investigating a trail of orange paint that appeared on the westbound lanes of Interstate 55/70 between Madison and East St. Louis Thursday morning.

The orange streak was reportedly caused when a truck lost part of a load of paint early Thursday morning.

As of early Friday afternoon, ISP''s Collinsville office has received "numerous" reports of paint damage to vehicles.

The paint left a trail for several miles, beginning near the westbound exit of Illinois Route 203 near Gateway International Raceway.

Joseph Monroe, director of operations for the Illinois Department of Transportation Region 8, said his office first heard about the situation at about 8 a.m. Thursday.  After examining the roadway, work crews were sent out to restripe the lanes as a safety precaution.

"We won''t have to be concerned with lane change mistakes," he said.

Crews also determined that the paint did not create any slick spots on the highway.

Monroe also said IDOT would continue to monitor the situation, and there was some concern that the paint might damage the roadway, but that there were no immediate plans to clean off the paint.

He said the Illinois State Police is investigating the incident, and that anybody with information, or whose vehicle was damaged by the paint, should contact the ISP.

The ISP can be contacted at 346-3627.