BACKGROUND: Centerline, edge line, and shoulder rumble and mumble strips are road safety features to alert inattentive drivers to potential lane departure. These strips are most commonly a pattern of grooves milled into the pavement surface; those constructed in inadequate pavement may lead to premature deterioration of the surrounding pavement. Much of the research on rumble and mumble strips has focused on their ability to alert inattentive motorists with limited consideration to their long-term performance or their impact on the surrounding pavement. The performance of rumble and mumble strips depends not only on their maintenance and construction features but also on those of the surrounding pavement (e.g., pavement surface type, thickness, condition, and treatment; and snow and ice control operations); there are no widely accepted guidelines that address the maintenance and construction aspects of rumble and mumble strips.
There is a need to develop guidelines that address the different aspects of maintenance and construction of rumble and mumble strips on flexible and rigid pavements. Such guidelines will help highway agency personnel in making decisions regarding the maintenance and the construction of these strips and implementing more balanced and more cost-effective solutions.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop guidelines for the maintenance and construction of rumble strips on flexible and rigid pavements. Mumble strips are considered a form of rumble strips and should be included. For purposes of this research, the safety aspects of rumble strips will not be addressed.
Accomplishment of the project objective will require the following tasks.
PHASE I: (1) Collect and review relevant domestic and foreign literature, research findings, and information relative to the maintenance and construction of rumble strips on flexible and rigid pavements. This information may be obtained from published and unpublished information, and contacts with public and private organizations. (2) Based on the review performed in Task 1, identify the factors that are required for evaluating the different aspects of (1) maintenance of existing rumble strips and (2) construction of new rumble strips. Operations commonly performed on the surrounding roadway that are likely to influence maintenance and construction of rumble strips (e.g., snow and ice control) must be considered. (3) Evaluate and prioritize the factors identified in Task 2, and identify those factors recommended for further consideration/investigation in Phase II. (4) Based on the evaluation performed in Task 3, prepare an updated, detailed work plan to be executed in Phase II that includes an approach for investigating the recommended factors and develop guidelines for the maintenance and construction of rumble strips on flexible and rigid pavements. If appropriate, the proposed approach may include field activities to validate the recommended guidelines. The plan shall also include an outline of the proposed guidelines. (5) Prepare an interim report that documents the research performed in Tasks 1 through 4. Following review of the interim report by the NCHRP, the research team will be required to make a presentation to the NCHRP project panel. Work on Phase II of the project will not begin until the interim report is approved and the Phase II work plan is authorized by the NCHRP. The decision on proceeding with Phase II will be based on the contractor’s documented justification of the updated work plan.
PHASE II: (6) Execute the Phase II plan approved in Task 5. Based on the results of this work, prepare the guidelines. (7) Prepare a final deliverable that documents the entire research effort. The proposed guidelines shall be presented as a stand-alone deliverable.
Status: Research in progress.
