So while trying to answer another comment on cost, i ran into this:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09240... and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00303...

I had thought, reading the article, that maybe this was a relatively new idea, and they were at least trying something relatively new in an insane way.

But no, the latter is from 1999 (so when this event occurred), and there were earlier papers they cite.

Using lasers to do paint stripping of coatings from roadways was well studied even then, and all the risks/rewards carefully laid out.

Not that i expect the sales engineer to have read that, but still.