Virginia Tech Transportation InstituteVirginia TechGibbons, Ronald B.Hankey, Jonathan M.Pashaj, Irena2014-03-192014-03-192004-10Ronald B. Gibbons, Ph.D., Jonathan Hankey, Ph.D., and Irena Pashaj. "Wet Night Visibility of Pavement Markings," Virginia Transportation Research Council 530 Edgemont Road Charlottesville, VA 22903, Report No. FHWA/VTRC 05-CR3, Oct. 2004.FHWA/VTRC 05-CR3http://hdl.handle.net/10919/46698This report describes an investigation into the performance of pavement markings in wet night conditions. The performance of a typical pavement marking will degrade when it gets wet. This is a result of the flooding of the marking optics, thereby reducing retroreflectivity. Several technologies are available to improve wet marking performance. In this project, six technologies were tested using both standard measurement methods and participant evaluations. The results show that two of the marking technologies, raised retroreflective markers and wet retroreflective tape, outperformed the group under all conditions. These markings were also highly accepted by the participants. The results also show that the standard paint and glass beads technology is the worst performing and the least desirable of those evaluated. A comparison of the ASTM retroreflectivity measurement methods and the measured luminance results also indicates that the methods are suitable for the conditions used in the evaluation; however, possible additions and corrections to the methods are outlined in this report. A follow-up study is underway to allow development of a performance-based specification for pavement markings for wet night visibility.108 pagesapplication/pdfenIn CopyrightPavement markingsWet visibilityRetroreflectometryRetroreflective materialsMarking paintThermoplasticGlass beadsTechnical reporthttp://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/05-cr3.pdf