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Safety Evaluation of Permanent Raised Pavement Markers (2004) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 44-50

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From page 44...
... Narrow bridges on two-lane rural roads are mentioned as a special type of location where PRPMs were found to be effective in reducing nighttime speeds and centerline encroachments. A project performed by the University of Iowa for the FHWA resulted in "Guidelines for the Use of Raised Pavement Markers" (5)
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From page 45...
... 6.4 PROPOSED REVISIONS TO THE MUTCD In light of the findings of the composite and disaggregate analyses of PRPMs on two-lane roadways and four-lane divided freeways, the following changes to the MUTCD are proposed: 1. Add the following paragraph after the initial paragraph under Support for Section 3B.11 on top of page 3B-29: Retroreflective raised pavement markers enhance guidance for drivers by providing longer delineation of the travel path during nighttime and wet pavement conditions.
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From page 46...
... 2. Add the following paragraph under Guidance on page 3B-29: The use of any raised pavement markers as a supplement or replacement to standard pavement markings should be based on an analytical engineering study of the potential safety impacts and costs.
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From page 47...
... 6.6.2 Step 2: Estimate Expected Nighttime Nonintersection Crashes without PRPMs Using Equation 6-1 and 1998 data, calculate the expected number of nighttime crashes: E(Ky)
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From page 49...
... Where COST = Indirect cost of installation per PRPM, i = Annual discount rate, and n = Number of years in lens replacement cycle. If the indirect cost of implementing 500 PRPMs is $5,000, then the indirect cost per PRPM = $5,000/500 = $10.
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From page 50...
... This refers to the average annual cost of replacing the lens according to the replacement cycle and includes the cost of materials, equipment, and labor. Equation 6-10 can be used to calculate the annual maintenance cost, in which case n is equal to the number of years in the lens replacement cycle.
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Key Terms

  • centerline encroachments
  • state highway
  • narrow bridges
  • time crashes
  • nighttime crashes

  • prpm spacing
  • yellow centerline
  • nighttime speeds
  • pavement markers
  • replacement cycle

  • annual cost
  • raised pavement
  • fatal injury
  • indirect cost
  • disaggregate analyses


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