For nearly two weeks, a stretch of highway outside Beijing saw monster gridlock, which stretched out over sixty miles and trapped drivers on China's National Highway 110 for days. It had been expected to last until mid-September, but last Thursday, after eleven days, the traffic jam suddenly broke.

Many people, of course, are wondering: Where did it go? How did it start? And could this kind of jam happen again?

Eben Erickson makes his living off of that yellow line that stretches down the middle of the highway. However, this year, his livelihood may be threatened. His company, Road Runner Striping, usually spends spring repainting the stripes. However a shortage of an essential component of road paint that may mean less income for businesses and compromised safety for drivers.