Development of a Pavement Marking Condition Index from Retroreflectivity and Presence Measurements

摘要

To prepare for the impending amendment to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to set minimum retroreflectivity levels for pavement markings, many transportation agencies have been monitoring marking retroreflectivity performance to determine marking service life and therefore life cycle costs. Another important metric when evaluating marking performance is the marking's "presence," or how well the marking resists abrasion and remains bonded to the pavement surface. ASTM D913-10 Standard Practice for Evaluating Degree of Traffic Paint Line Wear describes a subjective method for comparing photographic references to estimate marking presence (1). However, a more quantitative method of monitoring marking presence has been accomplished by collecting photos of markings and then processing the photos through an image analysis program that reports the marking's presence as a calculated percentage. Retroreflectivity and presence data can be evaluated together for developing life cycle performance curves or for determining annual re-striping efforts. However, combining the two metrics can be subjective if there isn't a standard process for combining them. To standardize the process and eliminate subjectivity, Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) developed a Marking Condition Index (MCI). This paper briefly describes the two performance measures and details the development of the MCI.