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Appendix D - Suggested MUTCD Wording from Pittsburgh Workshop Participants

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Standard:
Agencies shall have an assessment or management program to maintain longitudinal pavement marking retroreflectivity at or above the minimum levels established in Table 3A-1.

Guidance:
The pavement marking management system should provide a system for planning the normal application of pavement markings systemwide, for monitoring the quality of the pavement markings, and a plan for correcting deficiencies that fall outside of the normal pavement marking cycle. The pavement marking management system should account for normal cycles of wear, tear, and deterioration in a way that allows agencies to identify areas that are approaching minimum levels and the agency should schedule pavement markings to be replaced in a reasonable and timely manner before non-compliance occurs.

If unforeseen circumstances occur that cause pavement markings to fall below the minimum levels, the agency should replace those pavement markings in a reasonable and timely manner.

One or more of the following assessment or management methods should be used to maintain pavement marking retroreflectivity at or above the minimum levels identified in Table 3A-1.

Three suggested options for Table 3A-1:

Option 1

Table 3A-1 Minimum Maintained Retroreflectivity Levels (mcd/m2/lx)

	Without RRPMs		With RRPMs
	50 mph or less	> 55 mph
White	80	100	X
Yellow	65	80	X

Option 2

Table 3A-1 Minimum Maintained Retroreflectivity Levels (mcd/m2/lx)

	Without RRPMs			With RRPMs
	50 mph or less	55-65 mph	> 70 mph
White	40	60	90	40
Yellow	90	250	570	50

Option 3

Table 3A-1 Minimum Maintained Retroreflectivity Levels (mcd/m2/lx)

Other Streets		All streets with RRPMs, lighting, or delineation
Less than 50 mph	50 mph or more
100	150	50

Four suggested options for assessment methods:

Option 1

1. Sample panel of stripe at minimum level. Place sample panel next to roadway stripe and compare. Procedure must be performed by a qualified inspector.

2. Expected Stripe Life: Develop stripe replacement schedules based on durability of varying stripe materials.

3. Sample X locations on a stripe project length. Average the retro readings for those samples. Pass or fail based on minimum requirement.

4. Use a mobile reflectometer to get retro readings. Pass or fail based on minimum requirement.

Note: Exceptions to these assessment methods are between the months of __ and __ (winter months) in northern states.

Option 2

One or more of the following assessment or management methods shall be used to maintain pavement marking retroreflectivity at or above the minimum levels identified in Table 3X-X.

A. Measured Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity: Pavement marking retro is measured using a reflectometer. Markings with retro below the minimum levels should be replaced.

B. Blanket Replacement: All pavement markings in an area/corridor, or of a given type, should be replaced at specified intervals. This eliminates the need to assess RL or track the life of the individual markings. The replacement interval is based on the expected marking life, compared to the minimum levels, per Table 3X-X.

C. Expected Marking Life: When markings are applied, the application date is recorded so that the age of the marking is known. The age of the marking is compared to the expected marking life, as stated in Table 3X-X. Markings older than the expected life shall be replaced.

Expected Life Table:

Option 3

1. Measure retroreflectivity, handheld or mobile per ASTM, in April or May. Restripe locations within 90 days.

2. Trained inspector reviews x% of roadway. If y% are unacceptable, restripe within 90 days.

3. Restripe every X (days, years, months) based on model (previous experience or research, or data from ...). No review required.

Option 4

Each agency should have an assessment method in place for monitoring and then for the replacement. This should be set from the data gathered that indicates the typical life span of the marking for rural and urban roadways.

• Assessment method in place
• Replacement schedule for pavement markings that fall below minimum retroreflectivity levels (take into account seasons when you cannot restripe, etc.)

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