Rumble strips have been used for many years to provide vibratory feedback to driversdeparting from their lanes. Frequently these rumble strips were placed adjacent to the markedlines; however, recently agencies have aligned the markings within the rumble strips. Thesepainted rumble strips, also known as rumble stripes, are emerging as centerline and edge linetreatments that can provide vibratory feedback to drivers of vehicles beginning to move outsideof the marked lane. A collateral benefit of painting edge lines within the rumble strip is thepotential to increase the retroreflective durability of the lines, particularly in areas that havesubstantial winter plowing operations.Nighttime visibility of pavement markings in dry and wet conditions is crucial to safevehicle operation on roadways. This study established a test corridor to compare the nighttimevisibility of edge line rumble stripes to the standard painted edge line before and after a winterseason in Central Indiana. A qualitative and quantitative analysis indicated that rumble stripesprovide improved retroreflectivity over the standard painted line in dry and wet conditions. Therumble stripes consistently surpassed the FHWA-research-based repainting thresholds forpainted lines after one winter season. In dry conditions the median coefficient of retroreflectivityfor a rumble stripe with glass beads surpassed the standard painted line by approximately 95%for white and 80% for yellow .The study also observed that in a corridor with paint containing ablend of elements designed for enhanced retroreflectivity, the rumble stripe exceeded the edgeline by approximately 90% for white and 260% for yellow.
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