The main objective of this study was to determine the best, cost-effective policy, consistent with safety, for sign sheeting material to be used on signs and construction work zone traffic control devices on State highways in Kansas. The investigation consisted of reviewing literature, contacting knowledgeable traffic engineers and research, conducting a survey of selected States' practice, conducting a life-cycle cost analysis, and reviewing a previous reflective sheeting study conducted for the Kansas Department of Transportation (Bellomo-McGee Inc., 1988).

The objective of this report is to give a preliminary assessment of the impact that revised retroreflectivity requirements will have on the State of Montana. Conclusions and recommendations are made future management and handling of sign inventory data in Montana. This objective is addressed through the following tasks: Task A: Review, assimilation and analyses of current literature available on a nationwide basis; Task B: Discussion of results from a multi state phone solicitation regarding state sign management practices and policies; Task C: An assessment of sign reflectivity inspection equipment and sampling methodology; and Task D: Evaluation of Montana sign inventory on the basis of current practices and condition of a limited sampling of signs. Recommendations of this report include upgrading of, or improvements to Montana Department of Transportation sign management system and multi-district statewide retroreflective sampling to better determine the impacts revised standards may have.

"This report completes and updates the first edition of NCHRP Report 600: Human Factors Guidelines for Road Systems (HFG), which was published previously in three collections. The HFG contains guidelines that provide human factors principles and findings for consideration by, and is a resource document for, highway designers, traffic engineers, and other safety practitioners."--Foreword.

Chapter 1. Introduction -- chapter 2. Background -- chapter 3. Closed-course study -- chapter 4. Open-Road study -- chapter 5. Research findings -- References -- appendix A. Incremental effects of light sources and sign sheeting on legend luminance for overhead guide signs -- appendix B. Assessment of background complexity using digital images of roadway scenes by image processing -- appendix C. Open-road study details -- appendix D. Guidelines for Nighttime overhead sign visibility.

Traffic signing is a critical component of the roadway, as it is the communication medium by which motorists receive information relative to warnings, regulations, and guidance. Nighttime legibility is very important to the effectiveness of roadway signs. Although external sign illumination is effective, the use of retroreflective sheeting is the most common and cost effective means of making signs visible to the driver at night. This report focuses on the collection and analysis of a sample of traffic signs, delineated according to Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) District and sign type, on the State highway system. These samples were collected on the Montana highway system, focusing on non Interstate, non urban areas. These data allow cost estimates to be made for suggested sign replacements by sign category, as well as indicate appropriate and feasible replacement strategies and priorities within each MDT District and the State as a whole. Recommendations are made relative to sign management systems to easily and effectively target and document signs for future maintenance. This report details work activities associated with each of the study tasks, and concludes with findings and recommendations for Montana's course of action regarding the inventory of highway signs.

The purpose of this research was to determine the safety, motorist opinion, and cost-effectiveness of pavement marking materials used by the Virginia Department of Transportation and to develop guidelines, where possible, as to when each type of material should be used. Interstate and primary road segments that had been remarked with a different type of pavement marking material were identified to perform a before-and-after accident analysis. When possible, segments that were remarked using the same pavement marking material were included to provide comparison sections. The number of sites and accident count data were insufficient to support a finding that the use of a particular pavement marking material reduces the number of target accidents. The results of a motorist survey indicated that the participating drivers were more satisfied with pavement markings with higher retroreflectivity values than those with lower values. Participating drivers over the age of 65 were generally less satisfied with the brightness of the pavement markings than were participating drivers under the age of 65. Using a large contract for paint was the most cost-effective for two-lane roads under most volume conditions and four- and six-lane low-volume roads. Using polyurea and a large contract for paint were the most cost-effective for high-volume two- and four-lane roads. Polyurea and waffle tape were the more cost-effective durable markings for high-volume six-lane roads. Changes in the use of pavement markings were recommended. Specifically, the Virginia Department of Transportation should (1) consider increasing the use of large paint contracts and minimizing its use of small paint contracts when possible; (2) consider a performance-based specification for durable markings; (3) continue consideration of a holistic approach for pavement management and markings, and (4) re-evaluate its pavement marking policy and include the recommendations of this study.