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TE-29 : Retroreflectivity
Retroreflectivity: Right Back At You!
Retroreflectivity, or nighttime visibility of signs and pavement markings, is recognized as essential for efficient traffic flow, driving comfort, and highway safety. To help State highway agencies improve the inservice performance of traffic signs and pavement markings, the Federal Highway Administration has initiated Test and Evaluation Project 29. The project uses newly-developed retroreflection technology to efficiently measure the nighttime visibility of signs and pavement markings. The two-part project addresses the evaluation of retroreflectometer equipment for measuring the nighttime visibility of signs and pavement markings and the feasibility of establishing guidelines and their impact on the maintenance operation of State and local highway agencies. Results of this project should establish appropriate retroreflection guidelines for signs and pavement markings. The guidelines will help State and local highway agencies identify and determine when signs and pavement markings have reached the end of their useful life and need to be refurbished.

TE-29 is one of three retroreflection projects.

Evaluation of all-weather pavement markings

This project evaluates the visibility, durability, and safety performance of all-weather pavement markings installed by State highway agencies at test sites. These will be evaluated with the mobile pavement marking retroreflectometer.

FHWA Sign Management and Retroreflectivity Tracking System (SMARTS)

SMARTS is a mobile system used to efficiently and economically measure the retroreflectivity (nighttime brightness) of traffic signs.

The system will track the designated sign, and at 200 feet will illuminate the sign with a powerful flash tube and measure the retroreflectivity of the sign.

A small picture of each sign will be stored in the systems data base, along with GPS coordinates and other data associated with that particular sign. This data will be used to evaluate the quality of the sign, and develop a sign inventory database.

SMARTS' unique feature is that it measures at highway speeds and does not need traffic control to make the measurements. These are major safety advantages over handheld equipment.

SMARTS gives highway agencies the data necessary to schedule timely maintenance of traffic signs on a systemwide basis.

A prototype was built and is being showcased to the highway community at national conferences.

For more information about SMARTS, contact Peter J. Hatzi, HOTO, (202) 366-8036, at the Federal Highway Administration.

 


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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

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Project Managers
Peter J. Hatzi
HOTO
(202) 366-8036

Ernie Huckaby
HOTO
(202) 366-9064

Jonathan (Dan) Turner
HSR-30
(703) 285-2423

Technical Support Contract
This contract supplements the All-Weather Pavement Markings and the Retroreflection TE-29 project by providing administrative and technical services.