Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity Performance in Costa Rica

Author(s): Javier Zamora-Rojas

Slidedeck Presentation:

6A Zamora_Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity Performance in Costa Rica

Abstract:

Pavement marking in Costa Rica has mainly been empirical, and premature degradation of the
markings on different roads has been a major problem. Performance of waterborne and solventborne
traffic paints and thermoplastic material was analyzed in this project by measuring
retroreflectivity. As a first stage, four roads were monitored up to ten months using two
retroreflectometers: portable and vehicle-mounted. Retroreflectivity levels were established for
each material and color, with a minimum of 100 mcd/m2/lx. Data were analyzed for the different
testing sites and materials, and for white and yellow longitudinal lines and symbols. Comparison
graphs and degradation retroreflectivity curves were developed. Results confirm a better
performance of thermoplastic material(durability of 10-15 months), but yet below the expected
levels, compared to waterborne and solvent-borne traffic paints, which showed similar
performance (6-8 months). Significant differences between portable and vehicle-mounted
retroreflectivity data were observed. Next stages of the project will include a larger sample of
roads with different climate, pavement and traffic conditions across the country, aiming to
enhance pavement marking practice in Costa Rica for better road safety conditions.