Research on Valid Serve Life of Pavement Marking in Urban Area

A two year study of evaluate the valid service life of durable pavement markings on urban roads was conducted in Beijing as a pilot field study of Chinese national transportation product evaluation program and minimum retro-reflectivity requirements standards and road maintenance standards. 34 pavement marking lines including edge line, arrow, skip line, crossing line and stop line were installed on expressway and intersection. Marking materials included thermoplastic with glass beads, preformed thermoplastic tape with glass beads and preformed rubber based pavement tape. Service life evaluation was base on minimum value of durability and retro-reflectivity. Retro-reflectivity attenuation varies at different locations (express way, intersection), different marking functions (e.g., skip line, edge line) and different materials (thermoplastic or tape). It was found the more accumulated traffic, the more loss of retro-reflectivity. The most loss of retro-reflectivity happens at stop lines, skip line and cross line are better, arrows are less, edge line is the best. Cleanliness factor are also considered, retro-reflectivity significantly rises after cleaned. A maintenance schedule for different markings was given in this paper. Stop line, skip line and crossing line are suggested to be replaced every 12 months; arrow and edge line are suggested to be replaced every 24 months with a special concern of cleanliness at urban area.