Semester of Graduation

Summer 2023

Degree

Master of Construction Management (MCM)

Department

Construction Management

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Because of the limited highway state budget, most transportation agencies restripe their thermoplastic pavement markings based on a fixed schedule or based on visual inspection. However, these restriping strategies might be questionable in terms of efficiency and cost. Some studies have developed degradation models to predict the retroreflectivity of thermoplastic markings based on key variables. Yet, most of the developed models had low prediction accuracy (R2 as low as 0.1) and sometimes was not reported, which placed little confidence in their use. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the field performance and develop cost-effective restriping strategies for thermoplastic markings placed in hot and humid climate conditions. The performance of 184 thermoplastic lines were collected from the 2012 and 2015 Florida National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) test decks. Based on the collected data, three different techniques were used to estimate the markings’ service life (SL), that ranged between 0.4 and 12.1 years with an average value of 3.4 ± 0.2 years. For SL prediction, two regression models were developed with the initial retroreflectivity in the skip area (RS) and surface type as dependent variables. The resulting prediction R2 was estimated at 0.80 and 0.60 for asphalt and concrete surfaces’ models, respectively. By performing a life-cycle cost analysis in terms of Net Present Value (NPV), considerable cost savings (up to $7,908 per lane-mile) could be achieved from utilizing the proposed models, as compared to the conventional restriping strategies. The findings of this study were incorporated into an enhanced decision-making tool to assist transportation agencies at making effective restriping decisions for thermoplastics in hot and wet climates.

Date

5-9-2023

Committee Chair

Chao Wang

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.5781

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