Pavement Markings General Principles
Posted by Jesse Willoughby on Sat, May 30, 2009 @ 05:38 AM
General principlesPavement markings should conform to the following general principles:
Color
Pavement markings must be yellow or white. Red and
blue are used in special cases:
• Yellow longitudinal lines separate traffic flowing
in opposite directions, or mark the left edge of the
pavement on one-way roadways.
• White longitudinal lines separate traffic flowing in
the same direction, or mark the right edge of the
pavement.
• Contrasting black marking placed next to a white
marking may be used to make the white line stand
out on light-colored pavements.
• Words and symbols, crosswalk and stop lines are
white.
• Red and blue are used in special cases. Blue is for
parking spaces for persons with disabilities; red for
raised pavement markings for roadways that shall not
be entered such as one-way streets or alleys.
Width
• Line width indicates the degree of emphasis. Normal
centerlines and edgelines are 4"-6" wide. A wide line
is at least twice the width of a normal line.
Number
• Double lines-two normal width lines separated by
a discernible space-indicate maximum restriction:
driving across them is prohibited.
Solid vs. broken
• Solid lines discourage crossing and should not be
crossed. Broken lines may be crossed.
• A broken line is formed of segments and gaps, usually
in the ratio of 1:3. For example, on rural roads a 10'
segment would be followed by a 30' gap.
• Dotted lines provide guidance and are generally
used as line extensions. They have noticeably shorter
segments: for example, a 2' line and a 2' to 6' gap.
A dotted line where a lane is dropped or added may
consist of a 3' line and a 9' or 12' gap. The marking
shall be the same color and width as the line it
extends. A normal-width line may be used to extend
a wide line through an intersection.