RECOMMENDED PAVEMENT MARKING SEGMENT TO GAP RATIO CHANGED

The Federal Highway Administration has announced that the FHWA now recommends the use of a segment to gap ratio of 1:3 for broken line longitudinal pavement markings. The next revision of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) will provide the recommended segment to gap ratio of 1:3. For rural highways, a 10-foot segment and 30-foot gap is recommended. Previously, section 3A-6 of the MUTCD provided that a broken longitudinal pavement marking is formed by segments and gaps usually in the ratio of 3:5 and that on rural highways, the commonly used standard is 15-foot segments and 25-foot gaps. Recent studies sponsored by the FHWA indicate that a shortened line segment will not reduce the effectiveness of pavement markings while significntly reducing the amount of marking materials used. /Author/

• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Norman, M R
• Publication Date: 1977-10

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 59
• Serial:
  • Transportation Engineering
  • Volume: 47
  • Issue Number: 10
  • Publisher: Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Gap acceptance; Marking materials; Pavements; Road markings; Rural highways; Specifications
• Old TRIS Terms: Segmentation; Traffic marking
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00167910
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 16 1978 12:00AM