Paint Pavement Marking Performance Prediction Model

Abstract

The purpose of this research effort was to develop a new performance prediction model for paint pavement markings that includes the effect of snow removal operations. The paper first develops a model based on data from North Carolina. The authors then apply the model to a small stretch of road in Ohio to explore the utility of the model in other states. Recently proposed Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) minimum standards for pavement marking retroreflectivity were combined with the newly developed degradation model to determine the remaining service life of four road segments due for replacement according to standard operating procedure. This model showed 3 years of service life remaining for two of the road segments, indicating that replacement is unnecessary. Using the model developed in this paper, the remaining service life of a paint pavement marking can be estimated, and asset managers can avoid premature replacement of pavement markings. A key finding of this research is that each snow removal event subtracts more than 1 month of service life from paint pavement markings.