Pavement Marking Specifications Compliance and Modeling of Retroreflectivity Performance

Abstract

This study provided an analysis of a database containing 7,840 observations of 40 highway pavement marking projects constructed in Alabama in 2007 to determine the extent to which marking properties complied with ALDOT specifications. A statistical analysis was also performed on these observations to determine mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation by color and type of markings for marking properties. Results showed that retroreflectivity had significant variation. This research also developed models of retroreflectivity performance over time for thermoplastic markings, which was executed for 15 projects that had measurements of retroreflectivity for the same locations in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. A linear model considering age, initial retroreflectivity, and AADT as independent variables was the one which best represented data, with R2 values of 0.398 for white markings and 0.479 for yellow markings.