Long-Term Maintenance Needs and Costs of Green-Colored Pavement Markings and Flexible Post Delineators

About the project:

In recent years, Virginia localities have expressed interest in installing two specific bicycle infrastructure elements: green-colored pavement markings on bicycle facilities and flexible post delineators (referred to as flexposts) along separated bike lanes to improve visibility and safety. However, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) lacks information on the long-term maintenance costs (for both green-colored pavement markings and flexposts) and does not have a policy on installing green-colored pavement markings due to the lack of formal provisions in the presently adopted 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and 2011 Virginia Supplement. This study will assess the use of green-colored pavement markings and flexposts in Virginia to help localities and VDOT make informed decisions concerning which types of bicycle treatments they can reasonably maintain and to inform their maintenance budgets. 

This study will include a literature review of the existing research regarding both design and maintenance considerations and specifications for green-colored pavement markings and flexposts (in the context of bicycle and, less commonly, pedestrian infrastructure). A screening survey will be disseminated to VDOT Districts and Virginia localities that maintain their own roads to identify locations of either infrastructure element. A more in-depth interview of maintenance and operations personnel will be conducted to gather information regarding the materials used and their applications, along with maintenance costs, frequency, labor, and equipment. In addition, three to five case studies will provide specific examples of installation costs and maintenance frequency, costs, labor, and required equipment.

The information gathered will be utilized to develop a range of lifecycle costs, a table showing the estimated frequency of maintenance, and a table depicting the pros and cons for each of the studied bicycle and pedestrian treatments.

Project Team

Principal Investigators

Other Investigators