Pavement Marking Demonstration Projects

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.