Plastic pavement marking materials

Pavement markings are one of the most effective traffic control devices available to the traveling public. They serve to guide, warn, and regulate the motorist in the use of highways and streets during the day and night. For many years traffic paints were the only materials available for pavement markings. Even today the vast majority of pavement markings are painted. Much research and effort, however, has been employed in the development of marking materials more durable than paint. This report looks at two of the leading durable marking materials available to the traffic engineer today: long life pavement marking tape and thermoplastic. Three major findings emerge from this research report. First, currently available long life pavement marking tapes used as special markings or symbols are not performing acceptably due to reflectivity after only two years of service on high volume roadways (5,000 ADT). Second, thermoplastic pavement markings are providing 5 to 8 years of acceptable service (including reflectivity) when used as long lines on high volume asphalt roadways in North Carolina. Third, life cycle costs indicate that thermoplastic used in a long line condition is less expensive than paint on high volume asphalt roadways (5000 to 20,000 ADT) and approximately equal in cost to paint on asphalt roads with ADTs over 20,000. Life cycle costs for special markings and symbols shows thermoplastic's life cycle cost is approximately one third that of paint on urban and high volume routes and approximately equal to the cost of paint on low volume routes. These same life cycle costs indicates that the cost of long life tape is 3 to 5 times more expensive than either paint or thermoplastic.

• Corporate Authors:

  North Carolina State University. Center for Transportation Engineering Studies

  Raleigh, North Carolina  United States 
• Authors:
  • Attaway, R W
  • Babcock, W F
• Publication Date: 1988-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 181P

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: High volume roads; Life cycle costing; Plastics; Properties of materials; Road markings
• ATRI Terms: High traffic road; Life cycle costs; Material properties; Pavement marking; Plastics
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01414895
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Aug 24 2012 4:18AM