"Test deck?"

[Buffaboy]

I was browsing a news aggregator website and came across a picture of what was described as a "test deck," where DOTs test lane markings. Has anyone heard of this or personally experienced it?

[SignGeek101]

ON 401 in the eastern part of the province has several areas of test paint. Both white and yellow in colour I believe. I don't remember exactly where though.

[jeffandnicole]

There used to be a small section on NJ 29 in Trenton that had test lines.

A small section of abandoned PA Turnpike had test striping and test reflectors as well.

[coatimundi]

I've seen it a couple of times on abandoned or disused sections of road that were still owned by the DOT (like an older section of road that lies right next to the rebuilt portion).
The pic you posted looks like it may be a training spot.

[74/171FAN]

There is also one on I-80 EB just past the PA 880 (Exit 192) interchange near a rest area.  (link is 2012 GSV for visibility purposes)

[7/8]

There's one on the QEW EB just past the Ontario St exit in Grimsby, ON. Here's a photo from The St Catharines Standard.



And here's the sign approaching it on GSV

[kalvado]

Not so impressive location in Albany NY - now nice shiny road since road reconstruction started last year.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7079521,-73.8635305,3a,75y,110.69h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s4JOPzH-H7-XwPSFA9ED9nQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
There was a "test paint area" sign as well, but I cannot find it on GMap. Maybe it was removed at some point...

[Buffaboy]

There's one on the QEW EB just past the Ontario St exit in Grimsby, ON. Here's a photo from The St Catharines Standard.



And here's the sign approaching it on GSV

I heard there's one at the Fruitand Road exit as well. I'll have to venture up there at some point to see it, because the last time I was on the QEW I'm pretty sure the lines didn't exist.

[7/8]

I heard there's one at the Fruitand Road exit as well. I'll have to venture up there at some point to see it, because the last time I was on the QEW I'm pretty sure the lines didn't exist.

Do you mind me asking when you last drove it? I drove down here a couple weekends ago and I thought they were still there. Mind you, the lines might be more faded than this photo.

[jeffandnicole]

I heard there's one at the Fruitand Road exit as well. I'll have to venture up there at some point to see it, because the last time I was on the QEW I'm pretty sure the lines didn't exist.

Really? Do you mind me asking when you last drove it? I drove this every week last fall and they were there, and I also drove down here a couple weekends ago and I thought they were still there too. Mind you, the lines might be more faded than this photo.

Relax. It stands to reason someone from the US wouldn't be in Canada all that often, so something as recent as a year ago wouldn't have been seen.  And based on the lack of wear of those lines, they do seem fairly recent.

[sparker]

If there's one actually deployed on a public road in California, I for one haven't come across it in the past decade or so.  I do recall, as a kid, that a portion of I-80 between Sacramento and Roseville, just east of the Madison Ave. interchange -- when it was still 2 lanes per side (pre '73) -- had a "test section" like this, with multiple paint colors and thicknesses painted across both eastbound and westbound lanes.  While most of the "stripes" were variations on white and yellow, occasionally a green or red stripe would be part of the mix.  IIRC, there was a small white sign in either direction immediately before the test section stating that it was a "Pavement Marking Test Area". 

[Pete from Boston]

I think there's a test spot on A-10 east, west of Sherbrooke, QC.  There's a lane full of dashed lines.  I've seen it elsewhere near there, going west.

[7/8]

I heard there's one at the Fruitand Road exit as well. I'll have to venture up there at some point to see it, because the last time I was on the QEW I'm pretty sure the lines didn't exist.

Really? Do you mind me asking when you last drove it? I drove this every week last fall and they were there, and I also drove down here a couple weekends ago and I thought they were still there too. Mind you, the lines might be more faded than this photo.

Relax. It stands to reason someone from the US wouldn't be in Canada all that often, so something as recent as a year ago wouldn't have been seen.  And based on the lack of wear of those lines, they do seem fairly recent.

Sorry, that came off more aggressive than I intended. I've edited my post to sound better.

[jeffandnicole]

I heard there's one at the Fruitand Road exit as well. I'll have to venture up there at some point to see it, because the last time I was on the QEW I'm pretty sure the lines didn't exist.

Really? Do you mind me asking when you last drove it? I drove this every week last fall and they were there, and I also drove down here a couple weekends ago and I thought they were still there too. Mind you, the lines might be more faded than this photo.

Relax. It stands to reason someone from the US wouldn't be in Canada all that often, so something as recent as a year ago wouldn't have been seen.  And based on the lack of wear of those lines, they do seem fairly recent.

Sorry, that came off more aggressive than I intended. I've edited my post to sound better.

I do that all the time! :-)

[jeffe]

If there's one actually deployed on a public road in California, I for one haven't come across it in the past decade or so.  I do recall, as a kid, that a portion of I-80 between Sacramento and Roseville, just east of the Madison Ave. interchange -- when it was still 2 lanes per side (pre '73) -- had a "test section" like this, with multiple paint colors and thicknesses painted across both eastbound and westbound lanes.  While most of the "stripes" were variations on white and yellow, occasionally a green or red stripe would be part of the mix.  IIRC, there was a small white sign in either direction immediately before the test section stating that it was a "Pavement Marking Test Area".

There's a section on westbound I-80 near Sacramento between the West El Camino Road interchange and the Sacramento River that used to have a "Test Section" sign and stripes.  It's only visible in Google Streetview from May 2008 or earlier. 


There also used to be a "PAVEMENT MARKING TEST SECTION" sign in advance of the test section.


This section used to have a large number of lateral white and yellow stripes like you described.  This section is currently being widened, so I don't know if the test area will be reinstalled after the work is complete, or if it has been moved somewhere else.

[sparker]

Question: it's been a while since I've been on I-80 around the north side of Sacramento; is/was the pavement on the "test section" east of the Sacramento River asphalt or concrete these days?  The original test section I remember from the 60's and early '70's near the Madison interchange was definitely on asphalt.  That begs another question: would Caltrans -- or any other state transportation agency, for that matter -- have separate "test sections" for asphalt AND concrete?  It would seem that each pavement composition would require a somewhat different adhesive quality for the paint used for marking -- and/or possibly a research effort to determine whether there was a paint formula that would work equally well with both common pavement types.  If anyone out there can shed some light on this, please don't hesitate to respond!   

[roadfro]

The Desert Inn Road Superarterial in Las Vegas had test striping on the outside lanes, but there was no sign to indicate there was a striping test section. The test striping was applied on asphalt as well as a PCC bridge deck. The striping was spread over a ~0.5-mile stretch in both directions.

[BamaZeus]

I know I've seen this before, maybe 15-20 years ago, but I can't remember exactly where.  I want to say it was on I-20 in east Alabama near the Georgia border, but they've reconstructed the road through there so any evidence of that would be gone.

[hbelkins]

Kentucky has done this for years, on concrete and asphalt sections of I-64 near Frankfort. Signage said "test stripes ahead."

[AsphaltPlanet]

For whatever reason, York Region has gone kind of sprayer happy on the former alignment of the Pleasantville Curve:

https://goo.gl/0HQAEL

[7/8]

For whatever reason, York Region has gone kind of sprayer happy on the former alignment of the Pleasantville Curve:

https://goo.gl/0HQAEL

Wow that looks trippy! It seems like an odd location though, since it's a dead end with nothing there. You would think the paint wearing from tires and snow plows would be an important part of a test deck.

[cbeach40]

For whatever reason, York Region has gone kind of sprayer happy on the former alignment of the Pleasantville Curve:

https://goo.gl/0HQAEL

Wow that looks trippy! It seems like an odd location though, since it's a dead end with nothing there. You would think the paint wearing from tires and snow plows would be an important part of a test deck.

Not so much a test deck for wear, just a spot to test out the sprayer. Very common, here's one next to an MTO maintenance yard
https://goo.gl/maps/WeMc8R9zuvJ2

[Scott5114]

^ Near a maintenance yard also seems like a good place to train new operators who haven't driven the paint truck before.

[7/8]

I found another pavement marking test area, this time on the 400 NB:





Unfortunately imgur uploads my photos out of order, so I'm not sure where it is on the 400. I'll have to check my computer later, which has the photos in order.

[Alex]

I-65 had a pavement markings test section south of Montgomery,  Alabama.