Enhancement of Highway Conditions during Winter Weather Operations through Coupling Raised Pavement Markers with Rumble Strips

Abstract

The use of snowplows in northern Texas frequently results in the loss of retroreflective raised pavement markers (RPMs). The loss of RPMs is not only costly but also creates unsafe driving conditions during inclement weather. Pavement sections in many regions across the state of Texas often use a centerline rumble strip for safety. Traditionally, these rumble strips have precluded the use of metal-encased RPMs (i.e., snowplowable RPMs). This paper is focused on determining the efficacy of inserting commercially available RPMs into the trough regions of the rumble strips, and thus enabling the rumble strips to be multifunctional by not only providing a sound warning to drivers passing over the centerline but also giving nighttime lane delineation visibility to drivers by preventing the loss of RPMs because of snowplows. Field screening studies on small roadway segments and pilot implementation in a couple of highway segments in northern Texas were conducted. The studies reveal that embedding RPMs in existing rumble strips can be a viable approach for centerline delineation of highways that mitigates the issues of dislodgement of RPMs as a result of snowplow operations.