Pavement Marking/Colored Pavement Friction Differential and Product Durability

Safety of all modes of travel represents one of Minnesota Department of Transportation's (MnDOT's) core values. The frictional characteristics of pavement surfaces is a major component of safety; good skid resistance allows users to move and stop safely under various weather and moisture conditions. While pavement markings play a very important role in traffic flow and safety, they also tend to be slippery, since most of them contain glass media needed to improve retroreflectivity for night visibility. The sudden change in frictional characteristics, when transitioning from normal pavement surfaces to pavement markings and, in some cases, to colored pavement lanes, can create a safety hazard for pedestrians (including those with disabilities), motorcyclists, and bicyclists, especially under wet conditions. In recent years, a number of pavement marking and colored pavement products, that provide improved friction properties and, in some cases, also show promise from a durability standpoint, have become available. A number of them have been used on MnDOT projects; however, there has been no rigorous scientific investigation to measure and analyze the friction differential between pavement markings/colored pavement and the surrounding pavement. In this project the research team proposes to address this issue by performing skid resistance testing on a number of products, using different testing devices, and providing guidelines for evaluating the frictional characteristics of pavement markings and colored pavements. In addition, a comprehensive literature review will be performed to better understand what is being done nationally and internationally, to address the issue of friction differential.

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Active
  • Funding: $136861
  • Contract Numbers:

    1036342 WO#17

  • Sponsor Organizations:

    Minnesota Department of Transportation

    395 John Ireland Boulevard
    St Paul, MN  United States  55155

    Local Road Research Board

    395 John Ireland Boulevard
    St. Paul, Minnesota  United States  55155-1899
  • Managing Organizations:

    Minnesota Department of Transportation

    395 John Ireland Boulevard
    St Paul, MN  United States  55155
  • Performing Organizations:

    University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

    Center for Transportation Studies
    Minneapolis, MN  United States 
  • Principal Investigators:

    Marasteanu, Mihai

  • Start Date: 20210604
  • Expected Completion Date: 20241231
  • Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01762456
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: Minnesota Department of Transportation
  • Contract Numbers: 1036342 WO#17
  • Files: RIP, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Jan 20 2021 3:45PM