Pavement Marking Demonstration Projects: State of Alaska and

302 Pages·2013·12.38 MB·English

by  Joanna Dickens

Pavement Marking Demonstration
Projects: State of Alaska and
State of Tennessee
PUBLICATION NO. FHWA-HRT-12-048 NOVEMBER 2013
Research, Development, and Technology
Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2296
FOREWORD
This report provides information on four topics related to advanced pavement marking systems:
(1) an evaluation of the durability and cost effectiveness of alternative marking materials, (2) a
two-part study on the safety impacts of wider edge lines, the first part using operational effects
as surrogate safety metrics and the second part based on a post-hoc analysis of safety data, (3) an
evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of cost effective pavement marking systems, and
(4) a review of the effect of State procurement processes on the quality of installed markings. This
report amplifies information that may be found in Pavement Marking Demonstration Projects:
State of Alaska and State of Tennessee: Report to Congress (FHWA-HRT-09-039). The intent of
this report is to provide decisionmakers with information on materials and methods that will reduce
the overall national expenditure on pavement markings, while providing improved guidance and
enhanced safety for the driving public.

Monique R. Evans
Director, Office of Safety
Research and Development

Notice
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation
in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of
the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard,
specification, or regulation.
The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or
manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the
objective of the document.
Quality Assurance Statement
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve
Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards
and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its
information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to
ensure continuous quality improvement.
TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION PAGE

1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.
FHWA-HRT-12-048

4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date
Pavement Marking Demonstration Projects: State of Alaska and State of November 2013

Tennessee
6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No.
Paul Carlson, Eun-Sug Park, Adam Pike, R.J. Porter, Jeffrey Miles,
Bryan Boulanger, Omar Smadi, Neal Hawkins, Seth Chalmers,
Frank Darmiento, Adrian Burde, Beverly Kuhn, and Wendy Ealding

9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
Texas Transportation Institute

The Texas A&M University System 11. Contract or Grant No.
College Station, TX 77843-3135 DTFH61-05-D-00025
Task T-06-002
SAIC
1710 SAIC Drive
McLean, VA 22101-2296

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered
Office of Safety Research and Development Final Report
Federal Highway Administration
6300 Georgetown Pike 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
McLean, VA 22101-2296

15. Supplementary Notes
Projects were performed with the cooperation and participation of the Tennessee Department of Transportation and
the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative
(COTR) was Carl K. Andersen, Office of Safety Research and Development.

16. Abstract
This project evaluates the safety impacts, environmental impacts, and cost effectiveness of different pavement marking
systems as well as the effect of State bidding and procurement processes on the quality of pavement marking material
employed in highway projects. The findings indicate that States are pursuing alternative procurement strategies to provide
high-quality durable markings in a cost effective manner, often as part of a strategic safety plan, while industry has
responded to requirements for more environmentally benign materials. A multi-State retrospective crash analysis
suggests that the use of 6-inch edge lines reduces several crash types on rural two-lane two-way roads as compared to
4-inch edge lines. The monitored performance of pavement markings installed as part of the demonstration project
was used to evaluate pavement marking cost effectiveness. The same results were also used to populate a framework
for a pavement marking selection tool.

17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement
Acrylic waterborne paint, Durability, Environmental No restrictions. This document is available to the public
impacts, Pavement markings, Retroreflectivity, State through the National Technical Information Service
bidding procedures, Wider edge lines Alexandria, VA 22312

19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price
Unclassified Unclassified 298
Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1
BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................... 1
CHAPTER 2. COST EFFECTIVENESS OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS ............................. 5
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 5
Alaska and Tennessee Test Decks ...................................................................................... 5
LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................................... 5
Transverse Test Decks ........................................................................................................ 5
Long-Line Test Decks ......................................................................................................... 7
Test Deck Summary .......................................................................................................... 13
ALASKA TEST DECK ........................................................................................................ 15
TENNESSEE TEST DECKS ............................................................................................... 16
Nashville Test Deck .......................................................................................................... 17
Tusculum Test Deck ......................................................................................................... 18
DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES ............................................................................. 18
Retroreflectivity Measurements ........................................................................................ 18
Photographic Images ......................................................................................................... 19
Monitoring Snowfall ......................................................................................................... 19
PAVEMENT MARKING DURABILITY .......................................................................... 21
Alaska ............................................................................................................................... 22
Tennessee .......................................................................................................................... 24
PAVEMENT MARKING COSTS ...................................................................................... 27
PAVEMENT MARKING COST EFFECTIVENESS ....................................................... 34
FINDINGS PERTAINING TO ADVANCED ACRYLIC WATERBORNE
PAVEMENT MARKINGS .................................................................................................. 35
SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 36
CHAPTER 3. OPERATIONAL EFFECTS OF WIDE EDGE LINES ................................. 37
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 37
LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................... 37
Vehicle Speed ................................................................................................................... 37
Lateral Vehicle Position .................................................................................................... 38
TENNESSEE HORIZONTAL CURVE STUDY ............................................................... 39
Study Site Selection .......................................................................................................... 39
Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 41
Equipment Setup ............................................................................................................... 41
Sample Size ....................................................................................................................... 42
Statistical Analysis Methodology ..................................................................................... 44
Descriptive Statistical Analysis ........................................................................................ 44
Enhanced Statistical Analysis ........................................................................................... 52
SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 53
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CHAPTER 4. SAFETY EFFECTS OF WIDE EDGE LINES ............................................... 55
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 55
LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................... 55
DATA COLLECTION AND PREPARATION ................................................................. 55
Identifying Available Data ................................................................................................ 56
Illinois Data Collection and Preparation ........................................................................... 56
Kansas Data Collection and Preparation ........................................................................... 58
Michigan Data Collection and Preparation ....................................................................... 71
WIDER LINE RETROSPECTIVE CRASH ANALYSES ............................................... 72
Analysis of Illinois Rural Two-Lane Roadway Crash Data ............................................. 72
Analysis of Kansas Rural Two-Lane Roadway Crash Data ............................................. 81
Analysis of Michigan Rural Two-Lane Roadway Crash Data ......................................... 89
Consolidated Results ......................................................................................................... 95
CRASH SEVERITY ANALYSIS OF SINGLE-VEHICLE CRASHES ......................... 96
Modeling Approach .......................................................................................................... 97
Description of Data ........................................................................................................... 98
Results and Conclusions ................................................................................................. 100
SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 103
CHAPTER 5. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS...... 105
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................... 105
PAVEMENT MARKING PRODUCT COMPOSITION, APPLICATION, AND
REMOVAL TECHNIQUES .............................................................................................. 106
Pavement Marking Composition Overview .................................................................... 106
TRAFFIC PAINT ............................................................................................................... 107
THERMOPLASTIC PAVEMENT MARKINGS ............................................................ 108
Profiled Thermoplastic .................................................................................................... 109
Melt-In-Place Preformed Thermoplastic Tape ............................................................... 109
TWO-COMPONENT PAVEMENT MARKINGS .......................................................... 110
Epoxy Paints ................................................................................................................... 110
Polyurea .......................................................................................................................... 111
Modified Epoxy or Urethane .......................................................................................... 111
MMA............................................................................................................................... 111
COLD-APPLIED PREFORMED TAPE .......................................................................... 112
REFLECTIVE ELEMENTS ............................................................................................. 113
Glass Beads ..................................................................................................................... 113
Proprietary Reflective Elements and Bead Clusters ....................................................... 116
PAVEMENT MARKING REMOVAL (ERADICATION) ............................................ 116
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
CONCERNING PAVEMENT MARKINGS ................................................................... 116
NJDOT GLASS BEAD STUDY OVERVIEW ................................................................ 118
TTI HEAVY METALS IN GLASS BEADS STUDY ...................................................... 119
FHWA STUDY.................................................................................................................... 121
FHWA EPA STUDY........................................................................................................... 122
HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND TRAFFIC HAZARDS ..................................................... 123
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FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SAFETY REGULATIONS
PERTAINING TO PAVEMENT MARKINGS ............................................................... 123
NEPA .............................................................................................................................. 124
TSCA .............................................................................................................................. 124
RCRA .............................................................................................................................. 124
CAA ................................................................................................................................ 125
Clean Water Act .............................................................................................................. 126
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION ..................................................... 126
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT ........................................................ 127
ENVIRONMENTAL LCA OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS ........................................... 127
BMPS ................................................................................................................................... 130
Reducing Exposure Risks ............................................................................................... 130
MSDS RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................ 132
SPECIFICATION GUIDELINES FOR STORAGE, HANDLING,
APPLICATION, AND REMOVAL PRACTICES .......................................................... 134
SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 134
CHAPTER 6. STATE BIDDING AND PROCUREMENT .................................................. 135
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................... 135
RECIPE OR COMPONENT SPECIFICATION ............................................................ 135
PERFORMANCE-BASED SPECIFICATION................................................................ 137
WARRANTY SPECIFICATION ...................................................................................... 139
SURVEY ON STATE BIDDING AND PROCUREMENT PROCESSES .................... 139
SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 148
CHAPTER 7. RESEARCH SUMMARY AND FINDINGS ................................................. 149
COST EFFECTIVENESS OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS ............................................ 149
EFFECTS OF WIDER EDGE LINE PAVEMENT MARKINGS ................................. 150
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS ................................................................................... 151
STATE PROCUREMENT AND BIDDING PRACTICES ............................................ 151
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH .................................................. 151
APPENDIX A. DURABILITY TEST DECK INFORMATION .......................................... 153
PAVEMENT MARKING PREPARATION FOR INLAID MARKINGS .................... 153
ANCHORAGE PAVEMENT MARKING TEST DECK AREA ................................... 154
ANCHORAGE PAVEMENT MARKINGS ..................................................................... 158
NASHVILLE PAVEMENT MARKING TEST DECK AREA ...................................... 160
NASHVILLE PAVEMENT MARKINGS ........................................................................ 163
TUSCULUM PAVEMENT MARKING TEST DECK AREA ...................................... 164
TUSCULUM PAVEMENT MARKINGS ........................................................................ 167
APPENDIX B. PAVEMENT MARKING RETROREFLECTIVITY
DEGRADATION GRAPHS .................................................................................................... 169
ALASKA TEST DECK ...................................................................................................... 169
NASHVILLE, TN, TEST DECK ....................................................................................... 170
TUSCULUM, TN, TEST DECK ....................................................................................... 178
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APPENDIX C. PAVEMENT MARKING COST EFFECTIVENESS TABLES ............... 183
NASHVILLE, TN, TEST DECK ....................................................................................... 183
TUSCULUM, TN, TEST DECK ....................................................................................... 185
APPENDIX D. SAFETY ANALYSES ON MULTILANE HIGHWAYS ........................... 189
APPENDIX E. LIST OF MSDS COPIES REVIEWED ....................................................... 193
APPENDIX F. SUMMARY OF MSDS DATA ...................................................................... 197
APPENDIX G. PRESENCE ANALYZER ............................................................................. 245
TOOL DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................... 245
CALIBRATION .................................................................................................................. 246
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS ........................................................................................... 247
SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 248
APPENDIX H. MANAGEMENT TOOLS ............................................................................. 251
CHALLENGES ................................................................................................................... 251
PMST METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................. 253
TEST DECKS ..................................................................................................................... 253
PAVEMENT MARKING PERFORMANCE .................................................................. 253
PMST DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................... 258
RESULTS ............................................................................................................................ 258
APPENDIX I. REVIEW OF LOGIT MODEL ANALYSIS ................................................. 267
MULTINOMIAL LOGIT MODEL .................................................................................. 267
NESTED LOGIT MODEL ................................................................................................ 267
ORDERED LOGIT AND ORDERED PROBIT MODEL ............................................. 268
MIXED LOGIT MODEL................................................................................................... 269
SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 269
REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 271

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Photo. Example of NTPEP removable tape transverse test deck .................................... 6
Figure 2. Photo. Transverse test deck in Alaska ............................................................................. 6
Figure 3. Photo. Tusculum test deck section 1 TN-T presence failure ......................................... 25
Figure 4. Photo. Tusculum test deck section 5 TN-T a shallow groove-applied presence failures ... 26
Figure 5. Photo. Tusculum test deck section 5 TN-T b shallow groove-applied presence failures ... 26
Figure 6. Illustration. Map of 19 curve study sites in Tennessee ................................................. 40
Figure 7. Illustration. Horizontal curve traffic classifier layout ................................................... 42
Figure 8. Equation. Power analysis for sample size to detect a speed difference of 3 mi/h ......... 43
Figure 9. Equation. Power analysis for sample size to detect a lateral placement difference
of 6 inches ..................................................................................................................................... 43
Figure 10. Equation. Power analysis for sample size to detect a speed difference of 3 mi/h
with two interactions ..................................................................................................................... 43
Figure 11. Equation. Power analysis for sample size to detect a lateral placement
difference of 6 inches with two interactions ................................................................................. 43
Figure 12. Screenshot. Map of Clark County, KS ........................................................................ 63
Figure 13. Screenshot. Map of Kearny County, KS ..................................................................... 65
Figure 14. Photo. Measurement from US 50/K25 junction to Lakin east city limit ..................... 67
Figure 15. Equation. General form of the mean of negative binominal regression ...................... 74
Figure 16. Equation. Predicted number of crashes in before period ............................................. 82
Figure 17. Equation. Expected number of crashes in before period ............................................. 82
Figure 18. Equation. Weight ......................................................................................................... 82
Figure 19. Equation. Estimated variance in expected number of crashes in before period .......... 82
Figure 20. Equation. Ratio of the sum of the annual SPF predictions for the after period ........... 83
Figure 21. Equation. Predicted number of crashes in after period with no countermeasure ........ 83
Figure 22. Equation. Estimated variance of predicted crashes in after period ............................. 83
Figure 23. Equation. Sum of predicted crashes for all sites in a treatment group ........................ 83
Figure 24. Equation. Variance of total predicted crashes for all sites in a treatment group ......... 83
Figure 25. Equation. Sum of observed crashes for all sites in a treatment group ......................... 83
Figure 26. Equation. Estimated index of effectiveness of a countermeasure ............................... 84
Figure 27. Equation. Estimated variance in estimated index of effectiveness .............................. 84
Figure 28. Equation. Standard error of estimated index of effectiveness ..................................... 84
Figure 29. Equation. Negative binomial regression model for interrupted time series ................ 91
Figure 30. Equation. Probability of a given crash having a specified severity using
multinomial logit model ................................................................................................................ 97
Figure 31. Equation. Function for severity likelihood .................................................................. 97
Figure 32. Equation. Likelihood ratio index ................................................................................. 98
Figure 33. Photo. Applying paint with a truck sprayer ............................................................... 108
Figure 34. Photo. Applying preformed thermoplastic ................................................................ 110
Figure 35. Photo. Applying structured MMA ............................................................................. 111
Figure 36. Photo. Marking tape in recessed pavement groove ................................................... 112
Figure 37. Photo. Glass beads applied with bead gun on thermoplastic ..................................... 114
Figure 38. Photo. Double bead drop with flare nozzle guns on a liquid material ...................... 114
Figure 39. Photo. Glass bead application on a highway on the Tennessee test deck ................. 115
Figure 40. Photo. Glass beads in MMA ...................................................................................... 115
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Figure 41. Graph. Mean ± standard deviation arsenic and total metals contents for the
samples provided by AGBMA.................................................................................................... 120
Figure 42. Illustration. Pavement marking LCA model ............................................................. 129
Figure 43. Chart. Survey question 1—procurement process ...................................................... 140
Figure 44. Graph. Survey responses: type of specification versus material ............................... 141
Figure 45. Chart. Survey question 2—procurement process change .......................................... 142
Figure 46. Chart. Survey question 3—reasons for process change ............................................ 143
Figure 47. Graph. Survey responses: reasons for switching to performance-based specification ... 143
Figure 48. Chart. Survey question 4—expected and realized benefits ....................................... 144
Figure 49. Graph. Survey responses: benefits of switching to a performance- or warranty-
based specification ...................................................................................................................... 145
Figure 50. Chart. Survey question 5—unintended consequences............................................... 145
Figure 51. Graph. Survey responses: unintended consequences of switching to a
performance- or warranty-based specification ............................................................................ 146
Figure 52. Photo. Glenn Highway (SR 1 in Anchorage, AK) .................................................... 154
Figure 53. Screenshot. Proposed pavement marking installation sites (Anchorage, AK) .......... 154
Figure 54. Photo. Test section 3 (Anchorage, AK) ..................................................................... 155
Figure 55. Photo. Test section 5 (Anchorage, AK) ..................................................................... 155
Figure 56. Photo. Test section 6 (Anchorage, AK) ..................................................................... 156
Figure 57. Photo. Test section 7 (Anchorage, AK) ..................................................................... 156
Figure 58. Photo. Test section 8 (Anchorage, AK) ..................................................................... 157
Figure 59. Photo. Test section 9 (Anchorage, AK) ..................................................................... 157
Figure 60. Photo. SR 840 (Nashville, TN) .................................................................................. 160
Figure 61. Illustration. Proposed pavement marking installation sites (Nashville, TN) ............. 160
Figure 62. Illustration. Test sections 1 and 2 (Nashville, TN) .................................................... 161
Figure 63. Illustration. Test section 3 (Nashville, TN) ............................................................... 161
Figure 64. Illustration. Test sections 4 and 5 (Nashville, TN) .................................................... 162
Figure 65. Photo. SR 34 (Tusculum, TN) ................................................................................... 164
Figure 66. Illustration. Proposed pavement marking installation sites (Tusculum, TN) ............ 164
Figure 67. Illustration. Test section 1 (Tusculum, TN) .............................................................. 165
Figure 68. Illustration. Test section 2 (Tusculum, TN) .............................................................. 165
Figure 69. Illustration. Test sections 3 and 4 (Tusculum, TN) ................................................... 166
Figure 70. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation sections 5 AK a and 5 AK b ........................... 169
Figure 71. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation section 1 TN-N ............................................... 170
Figure 72. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation section 2 TN-N ............................................... 170
Figure 73. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation section 3 TN-N ............................................... 171
Figure 74. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation section 4 TN-N ............................................... 171
Figure 75. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation section 5 TN-N ............................................... 172
Figure 76. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation section 6 TN-N ............................................... 172
Figure 77. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation section 7 TN-N ............................................... 173
Figure 78. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation section 8 TN-N ............................................... 173
Figure 79. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation section 9 TN-N ............................................... 174
Figure 80. Graph. Retroreflectivity degradation sections 10 TN-N, 11 TN-N, and 12 TN-N ...... 174
Figure 81. Graph. Nighttime 98-ft (30-m) color degradation section 10 TN-N ......................... 175
Figure 82. Graph. 45-degree/0-degree color degradation section 10 TN-N ............................... 175
Figure 83. Graph. Nighttime 98-ft (30-m) color degradation section 11 TN-N ......................... 176
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