In winter in Hokkaido, northern Japan, pavement markings are damaged from scraping by snowplows and tire chains, and every spring, the markings need to be reapplied. The cost of such maintenance is particularly onerous in light of current constraints on road budgets in Japan. The authors propose a system of pavement markings whose recessed design prevents scraping damage from snowplows and whose incorporation of rumble strips increases driving safety. The markings are installed by milling a shallow longitudinal recess into the pavement at the shoulder line while simultaneously milling more deeply recessed transverse grooves (the rumble strips), and then applying both with marking paint. The recessed design reduces maintenance costs by affording resistance to snowplow damage, and the further recessed grooves of the rumble strip achieve accident reduction by producing noise and vibration in vehicles traveling over them, such as to alert drivers who are in danger of leaving the carriageway. This paper reports on the development of the marking/rumble strip system.
Abstract