Effectiveness study of methods for removing temporary pavement markings in roadway construction zones

Pavement markings provide guidance to road travelers and, when not properly removed during construction projects, can lead to fatal accidents. Current state guidelines, however, do not specify a level of acceptable damage and there is no reliable inspection tool available other than on-site individual visual inspections. To address these shortcomings, the main objective of this study was to identify effective temporary marking removal methods on pavements in roadway construction zones. Unlike previous studies, this research tested an extensive number of removal methods on both concrete and asphalt pavements, especially including dry-ice blasting and environmentally friendly non-MeCl chemical stripping. The methods were selected based on a nationwide survey and literature review. In addition, an innovative removal inspection method was developed using image-processing technology to accurately measure the visual damage to the pavement. Among the tested removal methods, the new non-MeCl chemical stripping method was most satisfactory in terms of performance quality. This study of pavement marking removal and inspection can help state transportation agencies significantly improve the current temporary marking removal practices and inspection protocols.