Service Life Analysis and Maintenance Program of Pavement Markings in Thailand

Abstract

Pavement markings are one of the most important highway assets. Good pavement markings provide good visibility for traffic, whereas poor pavement markings can adversely affect traffic operations on highways. However, a limited amount of research has been conducted on the effects of working conditions on the service life of pavement markings. This paper presents duration models for retroreflectivity of thermoplastic pavement markings in Thailand. This approach allows the service life of pavement markings to follow probability distributions in which model parameters are assumed as a function of relevant independent variables such as traffic volumes. The maximum likelihood estimation technique was used to estimate means and standard errors of the model parameters. Retroreflectivity data of thermoplastic pavement markings were collected from the eastern highway network of Thailand, which consists of more than 5,000 km of highways in various traffic conditions. The analysis results showed that traffic volumes had negative effects on the service life of the pavement markings. This paper proposes a preemptive goal program for approximating required budgets to ensure the maintenance of the percentages of good condition pavement markings over the planning horizon. The first-priority goal is to maintain the percentage of control sections that are in good condition, and the second-priority goal is to minimize total maintenance costs. In the illustrative example, the inconsistency between the Thailand Department of Highways' specifications and field practices caused estimated required annual budgets and the deterioration of pavement markings to greatly fluctuate over the planning period. For more consistency between specification and field practice, the proposed models will be applied in a pavement marking management system.