Modeling the impact of winter maintenance on pavement marking retroreflectivity

This paper investigates the change in retained retroreflectivity of waterborne paint and spray thermoplastic pavement markings before and after winter maintenance in a typical Snowbelt state. The research hypothesis is that if pertinent initial conditions such as fall retroreflectivity, marking material, and line type are known, it is possible to predict future performance for a given variable such as annual winter maintenance. Individual pairs of fall and spring retroreflectivity readings from hundreds of separate statewide sites are analyzed to show, among other things, that fall retroreflectivity and product type are predictors of spring retroreflectivity. In general, as fall retroreflectivity increases, the percent retroreflectivity retained by spring decreases in a predictable fashion for both waterborne and spray thermoplastic pavement markings.