Wet Reflective Pavement Markings Evaluation

Research has identified several countermeasures to reduce roadway departure crashes with several used to keep drivers from leaving the roadway. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) often utilizes raised pavement markers (RPMs) in addition to paint to denote lanes and shoulders. During winter, RPMs are frequently dislodged and removed by snow plows. During wet-night conditions, the RPMs that remain may be difficult for drivers to see due to reflectivity issues and missing markers. This minimizes the safety benefits of this treatment. Roadway departure is the leading cause of deaths and serious injuries to Ohio's traveling public. A potential treatment could be the use of wet reflective pavement markings. These markings are designed to provide increased levels of retro-reflectivity during wet-night conditions. Typically, wet reflective pavement markers are more expensive than standard RPMs and their durability in non-work zone conditions has not been adequately studied in Ohio. ODOT's Highway Safety Improvement Program has initiated a pilot program to evaluate the performance of wet-reflective pavement markers and their impact on reducing wet-night crashes. Multiple locations statewide are being selected for the installation of various wet-reflect pavement markers. To ensure proper evaluation of this pilot program, ODOT's Highway Safety Improvement Program is seeking a research team to collect and analyze data and recommend crash modification factors (CMF) to be considered for FHWA's CMF Clearinghouse. The goal of this research is to increase reliability of crash estimation on various facility types along with measuring the effectiveness of grooved wet reflective pavement markings. The objectives of this research include the following: (1) Develop and execute a data collection plan to support the pilot program. (2) Determine the following aspects of the pavement markings included in the pilot program: (3) Expected lifespan (4) Rate of deterioration (5) Overall effectiveness of reducing roadway departure crashes (6) Comparison of piloted markers to standard RPMs in terms of safety performance, reflectivity, cost, and lifespan. (7) Develop crash modification factors based on findings for FHWA CMF Clearinghouse consideration. Crash modification factors should include at a minimum night vs day and dry vs wet roadways.

• Record URL:
  http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Planning/SPR/Research/reportsandplans/Lists/Final%20Reports%20All/AllItems.aspx?View={7D4D0273-6FC5-48A5-AD17-9CC3A7E83DA0}&FilterField1=State%5Fx0020%5FJob%5Fx0020%5F%5Fx0023%5F&FilterValue1=136287

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $354986
• Contract Numbers:

  35184

  136287

  113072

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Ohio Department of Transportation

  Research Program
  1980 West Broad Street
  Columbus, OH  United States  43223
• Project Managers:

  Fout, Vicky

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Akron

  College of Engineering
  Akron, OH  United States  44325
• Principal Investigators:

  Abbas, Ala

• Start Date: 20200824
• Expected Completion Date: 20240224
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash modification factors; Evaluation; Highway safety; Pilot studies; Ran off road crashes; Reflectorized road markings; Road markings; Wet weather
• Identifier Terms: Ohio Department of Transportation
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pavements; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01748555
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Ohio Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 35184, 136287, 113072
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 25 2020 10:50AM