Temporary striping

[Scott5114]

In Oklahoma, whenever there's a road construction project that requires a lane shift or other situation that requires temporary striping, they always use regular road paint. Then whenever it's time to end that project, they actually grind the pavement off that has the stripe. So you have these grooves in the pavement until the next resurfacing, which is probably quite a ways away. If they had to modify a gore, things can get really bumpy. Occasionally contractors will use black paint over the old stripes, which is still unsightly but at least smooth.

Kansas has this duct-tape-like substance they make temp stripes with. They have a specialized heater/peeler tool that takes it back up. (I've seen crews removing it before.)

What does your state do?

[myosh_tino]

In California, I've seen everything.

* The tape you mentioned has been used here in the past but it has a tendency to become unglued during the rainy season resulting in wiggly lines.

* Regular road paint which does require that it either be ground or sand-blasted off

* Botts dots which are very common in California but when they are removed, the dark epoxy remains which can confuse drivers

* Little reflective tabs have become more and more common especially when a road is resurfaced.

[Scott5114]

* Little reflective tabs have become more and more common especially when a road is resurfaced.

Oh, hey, we have those too, but they're not used enough as they should be. I really like them because of how reflective they are...makes night driving a cinch.

There's also the problem of...when you're doing road work, how do you handle the permanent paint which is temporarily to be ignored? I like Germany's method of having a different color paint that supersedes "standard" paint...maybe the U.S. could someday do fluorescent orange stripes that override all yellow and white markings?

[agentsteel53]

In California, I've seen everything.

* The tape you mentioned has been used here in the past but it has a tendency to become unglued during the rainy season resulting in wiggly lines.

* Regular road paint which does require that it either be ground or sand-blasted off

* Botts dots which are very common in California but when they are removed, the dark epoxy remains which can confuse drivers

* Little reflective tabs have become more and more common especially when a road is resurfaced.

and sometimes all of those at once!  I remember when they were redoing the US-101/CA-85 interchange and they had *four* sets of lanes at one point.  The gaps in the original concrete slabs, the old lanes sandblasted off but still visible, a set of the little reflective tabs, and then some intermittent cones that utterly contradicted the previous three (including being in the middle of the lane when the other three indicators happened to line up)!

at one point I was pulled over for suspicion of driving drunk, because I just had absolutely no idea what to do so I was staggering through at 25mph.

[Truvelo]

There's also the problem of...when you're doing road work, how do you handle the permanent paint which is temporarily to be ignored?

Here in the UK we also use the reflective tabs but Scott's problem of differentiating between the permanant and temporary markings is clearly visible in this picture. The permanent markings are always burnt off but when driving towards a low sun or there's standing water it can make the burnt off markings more prominent than the temporary ones.

Click to enlarge

I like Germany's method of having a different color paint that supersedes "standard" paint...maybe the U.S. could someday do fluorescent orange stripes that override all yellow and white markings?

This is common in several European countries. They use yellow or orange paint. I've also seen this used in Canada.

[myosh_tino]

* Little reflective tabs have become more and more common especially when a road is resurfaced.

Oh, hey, we have those too, but they're not used enough as they should be. I really like them because of how reflective they are...makes night driving a cinch.

There's also the problem of...when you're doing road work, how do you handle the permanent paint which is temporarily to be ignored? I like Germany's method of having a different color paint that supersedes "standard" paint...maybe the U.S. could someday do fluorescent orange stripes that override all yellow and white markings?

In California, lane markers, whether their painted lines or botts dots, are normally removed when lanes are shifted due to construction.  In the case of botts dots, they are removed but like I said before, the epoxy used to glue them to the pavement is left behind resulting in multiple lane lines (and accidents if drivers aren't paying attention).

[deathtopumpkins]

Here in Virginia I've noticed mostly the tape stuff, but it never really seems to stick well, and after a few days on a busy route it will just be lying there in a big mashed-up heap. Which is why there is almost always a line of cones to match, even between lanes sometimes.

[Alps]

NJDOT uses marking tape for temporary applications where the original markings will be restored, and temporary (non-reflective) striping where the road is to be repaved or even regraded.  NJ Turnpike Authority I believe requires paint and does not allow tape, but they will consider temporary black contrast striping on concrete.  (I'm not even sure they use it in the permanent condition.)

[PAHighways]

Work zones in Pennsylvania uses either tape or painted lines.

[SSOWorld]

Painted lines in Wisconsin.

[Scott5114]

Do other states grind the other stripes off the pavement to the extent as OK though? On the road widening project outside my front door the grooves are so deep you can feel it as you drive over them. And there are similar grooves on SB 35 in Moore where work occurred two years ago...

[roadfro]

There's a variety of methods used in Nevada:

* In minor work zones where no resurfacing is taking place and the original markings will be restored, tape is sometimes used but most often the delineation is made with barrels, pylons and signs.

* In minor work zones where the street will be resurfaced, a combination of paint and reflective tabs are used. Paint may be used as traffic is shifted around on the lower lifts of asphalt, but then the reflective tabs are placed (along the path of the future permanent markings) prior to the final asphalt layer being placed.

* In major work zones, temporary striping is generally employed.  NDOT used to allow black paint over the old markings, but with the way road paint wears off (especially in southern Nevada) they now require the old marks be obliterated.

* On freeways, depending on how long the lane shifts are expected to be in place, permanent style markings may be placed. In Clark County/Las Vegas, this means that raised pavement markers may be applied.


Whenever old stripes are ground off, it usually isn't by much.  It might be as little as a half- or quarter-inch. You can detect this as you drive over, but it isn't jarring. Unfortunately, this often has the effect of leaving traces of the old marking that are easily confused with the new/temporary stripes in certain lighting conditions.

[Albert]

Oregon: After resurfacing, temporary markings guide the road for a month before permanent striping.

Types:

Temporary raised pavement markers

Temporary short lines

[Dirt Roads]

This just happened today on one of our local roads in rural Orange County, North Carolina.  A recently paved section had temporary striping soon after paving was completed about 2 months ago.  The permanent yellow double lines were painted about a month ago, but the white edge lines were still temporary.  Until this evening...   Those were all removed sometime in the past two days.  It didn't look like they used a grinder, so I'm wondering if they sandblasted them.  The pavement width was increased, but I'm not sure that the lanes were supposed to be widened (NCDOT Division 7 has been adding paved shoulders).  We will probably see the permanent edge lines sometime in the next week or so.

[Bruce]

Alright, I guess we're reviving a decade-old thread.

There's been some temporary striping on portions of I-5 near Mountlake Terrace, WA that were narrowed for light rail construction and it's been quite the challenge at high speeds. They're not exactly straight and vary in width.

https://goo.gl/maps/yg7wiY7gzD1DyKT76

[CtrlAltDel]

I have to admit that I wish temporary striping was less permanent. It's not as egregious, I don't think, as what Scott5114 described so long ago, but it's what I don't like about this picture from the Illinois Tollway:



Well, that and the false blurring.

[Dirt Roads]

This just happened today on one of our local roads in rural Orange County, North Carolina.  A recently paved section had temporary striping soon after paving was completed about 2 months ago.  The permanent yellow double lines were painted about a month ago, but the white edge lines were still temporary.  Until this evening...   Those were all removed sometime in the past two days.  It didn't look like they used a grinder, so I'm wondering if they sandblasted them.  The pavement width was increased, but I'm not sure that the lanes were supposed to be widened (NCDOT Division 7 has been adding paved shoulders).  We will probably see the permanent edge lines sometime in the next week or so.

Correction.  After a closer look, the temporary striping was removed using a grinder (albeit gently).  The painted line was fairly straight, but the path of the grinder varies quite a bit.

[andrepoiy]

Ontario's MTO uses orange paint in construction areas, except in cases where the configuration stays for an extended period of time.

[Dirt Roads]

This just happened today on one of our local roads in rural Orange County, North Carolina.  A recently paved section had temporary striping soon after paving was completed about 2 months ago.  The permanent yellow double lines were painted about a month ago, but the white edge lines were still temporary.  Until this evening...   Those were all removed sometime in the past two days.  It didn't look like they used a grinder, so I'm wondering if they sandblasted them.  The pavement width was increased, but I'm not sure that the lanes were supposed to be widened (NCDOT Division 7 has been adding paved shoulders).  We will probably see the permanent edge lines sometime in the next week or so.

Correction.  After a closer look, the temporary striping was removed using a grinder (albeit gently).  The painted line was fairly straight, but the path of the grinder varies quite a bit.

Followup.  Looks like this road had its white edge line painted sometime last week.  Indeed, the temporary white lines were too close to the edge of pavement (about 12 to 16 inches).  The new striping appears to be double the original distance from edge of pavement (about 12 to 16 inches from the grinder path).  Unlike many of the wide lane pavement in Orange County (like US-70) that have a 4-foot paved shoulder, this only leaves a little more than 2 feet beyond the white striping (not enough for an average bike to stay outside of the marked lane).

[frankenroad]

Do other states grind the other stripes off the pavement to the extent as OK though? On the road widening project outside my front door the grooves are so deep you can feel it as you drive over them. And there are similar grooves on SB 35 in Moore where work occurred two years ago...

Grinding seems to be the most common solution in Ohio (or at least in my part of Ohio).  Most cases where I have seen the temporary tape used, it very quickly becomes dislodged and useless.