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GROOVING PAVEMENT CENTERLINES FOR LANE DEMARCATION

IN LATE JUNE 1969, THE KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS CONTRACTED TO HAVE EXPERIMENTAL, LONGITUDINAL CENTERLINE GROOVES, 15 FEET LONG AT 80-FOOT INTERVALS, CUT INTO BOTH SETS OF DUAL LANES OF A 2.7-MILE PORTION OF 1-71 IN CARROLL COUNTY. WHEN THE CENTERLINE WAS PAINTED IN AN OTHERWISE NORMAL WAY, THE SKIP LINES WERE ALTERNATELY ON GROOVED AND UNGROOVED SURFACES. THE ROADWAY WAS OPENED TO TRAFFIC ON JULY 15, 1969. ON THE NIGHT OF APRIL 1, 1970, OR AFTER NINE MONTHS OF TRAFFIC WEAR, AN UNUSUALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURRED AT THE TEST SITE. THE GROOVED STRIPES WERE OBSERVED TO BE DEFINITELY SUPERIOR IN DELINEATING THE ROADWAY CENTERLINE. THE UNGROOVED STIPES WERE FAINTLY VISIBLE. IT WAS ALSO OBSERVED THAT WATER DRAINED SUFFICIENTLY WELL FROM THE TROUGHS OF THE GROOVES. NO NIGHTTIME OR DAYTIME DRY-WEATHER OBSERVATIONS WERE PERFORMED AT THAT TIME. DURING THE SUMMER OF 1970, THE ENTIRE PROJECT WAS RESTRIPED. IN GENERAL, THE SECOND STRIPING CORRESPONDED WITH THE FIRST WITH RESPECT TO PLACEMENT AND COVERAGE. DURING THE EARLY SUMMER OF 1971, A YEAR AFTER THE FIRST REPAINTING, THE STRIPES WERE AGAIN INSPECTED. IN GENERAL, THE GROOVED STRIPES SHOWED MUCH MORE WEAR AND (OR) LOSS OF PAINT THAN THE UNGROOVED STRIPES, SO THAT UNDER ALL DAYTIME CONDITIONS THE GROOVED STRIPES WERE LESS VISIBLE THAN THE UNGROOVED STIPES. AFTER A YEAR OF WEAR, THE GROOVED STRIPES WERE BETTER ONLY DURING WET, NIGHTTIME CONDITIONS. FOR ALL OTHER VIEWING CONDITIONS, GROOVED CENTERLINES APPEAR WORN AND WOULD THEREFORE REQUIRE MORE FREQUENT PAINTING THAN UNGROOVED CENTERLINES. /AUTHOR/

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00226128
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Dec 20 1971 12:00AM