FHWA Project 475980-00001

Pavement Marking Demonstration Projects: States of Alaska and Tennessee

Alaska Durability Demonstration Project

2008 Update
Anchorage Pavement Marking Durability Test Deck Area
State Route 1 - Glenn Highway

In May of 2008 the researcher team traveled to Alaska to assess the condition of the test deck. During this visit, the research team and AK DOT decided that several sections had failed over the winter months. AK DOT will restripe all but two of those sections. The two left will be restriped in August as a continued effort of the demonstration project. The demonstration project will include the addition of a durable paint and an experimental methylmethacrylate marking.

2007 Update
Anchorage Pavement Marking Durability Test Deck Area
State Route 1 - Glenn Highway

The first Alaska long-line durability data collection trip of 2007 took place the week of April 30th through May 4th. During this visit, the research team and AK DOT decided that 4 sections had completely failed over the winter months and needed to be restriped. A contingency plan was then implemented to restripe the 4 sections with different pavement marking systems and continue to monitor them through the project. However, a miscommunicated message led to the accidental restriping of all the test decks with AKDOT’s maintenance crews (using low VOC paint).

Despite these events, the research team will continue to monitor the test sites to determine the effectiveness of paint applied to a durable marking. In addition, two new test materials were added to the test deck (on 2 of the 4 sections that were deemed to have failed during the first winter). New test pavement marking materials were installed on the Alaska State Route 1 Glenn Highway Section 5 northbound and Section 6 northbound test decks during the weeks of September 24th and October 1st. The low VOC paint was eradicated and the new test materials installed were 125-mil white preformed melt-in-place thermoplastic tape and 60-mil long line truck sprayed methyl methacrylate (MMA). Installation pictures of the hot tape and 60-mil MMA are shown here.

Pavement Marking Application Summary - Alaska

  • Week of August 7, 2006: all test sections initially installed.
  • June 21, 2007: all test sections restriped with AK low VOC paint
  • Week of September 24, 2007: section 5-3 northbound restriped with preformed thermoplastic.
  • October 2, 2007: section 6 northbound restriped with spray methylmethacrylate.
  • August 2008: section 8 soutbound restriped with experimental methylmethacrylate
  • August 2008: section 6 soutbound restriped with durable paint

Alaska Deck Retroreflectivity Data Measurements (This data file is in Microsoft Excel)

Alaska - Spring 2008 Photographs

Alaska - Spring 2007 Photographs

Alaska - Summer 2006 Photographs

Tennessee Durability Study

Safety Study

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