Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. FHWA/TX-10/0-5890-1 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF PAVEMENT MARKING September 2009 SYMBOLS AT FREEWAY INTERCHANGES: FINAL REPORT Published: March 2010 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Brooke R. Ullman, Melisa D. Finley, Susan T. Chrysler, Nada D. Report 0-5890-1 Trout, Alicia A. Nelson, and Sarah Young 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Texas Transportation Institute The Texas A&M University System 11. Contract or Grant No. College Station, Texas 77843-3135 Project 0-5890 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Texas Department of Transportation Technical Report: Research and Technology Implementation Office September 2007–August 2009 P.O. Box 5080 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Austin, Texas 78763-5080 15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Project Title: Guidelines for the Use of Pavement Marking Symbols at Freeway Interchanges URL: http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-5890-1.pdf 16. Abstract Pavement marking technology has advanced to allow for the use of large multi-color symbols to be placed on the pavement as a means of providing drivers with another source of information from which they can make good driving decisions. This project focused on the use of such in-lane pavement markings to provide the driver with lane guidance and warning information near freeway interchanges. More specifically, researchers evaluated the design and application issues that are associated with the use of pavement marking symbols. The information gathered during this project was used to create a set of guidelines for the use of pavement marking symbols at freeway interchanges. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Pavement Markings, Horizontal Signing No restrictions. This document is available to the public through NTIS: National Technical Information Service Springfield, Virginia 22161 http://www.ntis.gov 19. Security Classif.(of this report) 20. Security Classif.(of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 116 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF PAVEMENT MARKING SYMBOLS AT FREEWAY INTERCHANGES: FINAL REPORT by Brooke R. Ullman, P.E. Nada D. Trout Assistant Research Engineer Assistant Research Scientist Texas Transportation Institute Texas Transportation Institute Melisa D. Finley, P.E. Alicia A. Nelson Associate Research Engineer Associate Research Specialist Texas Transportation Institute Texas Transportation Institute Susan T. Chrysler, Ph.D. Sarah Young Research Scientist Assistant Research Specialist Texas Transportation Institute Texas Transportation Institute Report 0-5890-1 Project 0-5890 Project Title: Guidelines for the Use of Pavement Marking Symbols at Freeway Interchanges Performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration September 2009 Published: March 2010 TEXAS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE The Texas A&M University System College Station, Texas 77843-3135 DISCLAIMER This research was performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official view or policies of the FHWA or TxDOT. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. This report is not intended for construction, bidding, or permit purposes. The engineer in charge of the project was Brooke R. Ullman, P.E. # 95927. The United States Government and the State of Texas do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of this report. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project was conducted in cooperation with TxDOT and FHWA. The authors would like to thank several individuals for their insights and guidance in this research: Omar Madrid (El Paso District), project director; Ricardo Castaneda (San Antonio District), John Hernandez (Corpus Christi District), Theresa Lopez (Fort Worth District), David Valdez (Traffic Operations Division), Roy Wright (Abilene District), Stuart Corder (Houston District), Michael Awa (Houston District), project advisors; and Wade Odell, Research and Technology Implementation Office liaison. Similarly, the researchers appreciate the contributions of Sandra Schoeneman and Jeff Miles of the Texas Transportation Institute during the various phases of the project. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... ix List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1. Introduction............................................................................................................... 1 Objectives ................................................................................................................................... 1 Background and Significance of Work ....................................................................................... 1 Visual Acuity and Reading Distances for Horizontal Signing ............................................... 3 Driver Comprehension of Lane Drops and Optional Lanes ................................................... 4 Chapter 2. State-of-the-Practice ................................................................................................. 7 Background ................................................................................................................................. 7 Findings....................................................................................................................................... 9 Marking Specifications ............................................................................................................. 10 Marking Sequences ................................................................................................................... 12 Marking Spacing ....................................................................................................................... 13 Recommendations and Feedback .............................................................................................. 14 Chapter 3. Human Factors Laboratory Study – Phase 1 ....................................................... 15 Study Design ............................................................................................................................. 15 Survey Instrument ................................................................................................................. 15 Survey Protocol ..................................................................................................................... 19 Locations ............................................................................................................................... 19 Participant Demographics ..................................................................................................... 20 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 21 Symbol versus Text Highway Identification ........................................................................ 21 Staggered Application ........................................................................................................... 24 Optional Lane........................................................................................................................ 29 Exit Lane Information ........................................................................................................... 34 Exit Lane versus All Lanes Having Pavement Markings ..................................................... 37 Order of Information within Applications ............................................................................ 39 Summary of Recommendations ................................................................................................ 43 Symbol versus Text Highway Identification ........................................................................ 43 Staggered Application ........................................................................................................... 43 Optional Lane........................................................................................................................ 44 Exit Lane Information ........................................................................................................... 44 Chapter 4. Human Factors Laboratory Study – Phase 2 ....................................................... 47 Study Design ............................................................................................................................. 47 Treatments............................................................................................................................. 47 Study Tasks ..........................................................................................................................