Temporary Pavement Markings and Work Zone Safety: A Forum

We offer our readers a forum on the safety issue of temporary pavement markings applied in a work zone. The increasing number of rehabilitation and repaving projects underway on our nation’s highways makes these markings crucial. Unfortunately, it does not appear that an acceptable set of striping guidelines has yet been found. In light of this, the number of suits alleging inadequate guidance through work zones may well increase in the next few years. Improvements in safety and accident reduction can come with better use of common sense in some pavement marking situations. Others require more thorough research and implementation where understanding is lacking.