Evaluation of Temporary Pavement Marking Patterns in Work Zones: Proving-Ground Studies

Results of proving-ground studies for evaluation of temporary pavement markings for work zones are summarized. The objective was to investigate 10 candidate temporary marking treatments: one base treatment consisted of 4-ft stripes with 36-ft gaps, and nine other candidate marking treatments employed variations in stripe length, gap length, and reflective and nonreflective raised pavement markers ( RPMs). The initial studies were conducted during dry-weather, daytime conditions. Based on the findings of the daytime studies, the base treatment and the best six of the nine other marking treatments were evaluated during nighttime, dry-weather conditions employing the same procedures and experimental design. The studies were conducted on the test track at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center, with a demographically balanced sample of drivers individually driving an instrumented test vehicle. Measures of effectiveness included speed and distance data, erratic maneuver data, and subjective evaluations of treatment effectiveness. The nighttime studies aimed to determine whether the daytime findings were applicable to dry-weather, nighttime driving conditions. The approach was to essentially replicate the daytime study procedures with a matched, but different sample of drivers. The six markings selected were three with striping patterns and three RPM configurations. Daytime treatments deleted were those with 1- and 2-ft stripes, long (48- and 38-ft) gaps, or both.