Low-Temperature Waterborne Pavement Marking Paints – A Road Assessment of this LOW-VOC Option

By Kimberly B. Kosto, Donald C. Schall

Pavement markings, meant to guide drivers both day and night, are one of the essential safety features of modern roadways. There are a number of pavement marking systems available, most of which consist of a pigmented coating containing partially embedded retroreflective elements such as glass beads. In order for a pavement marking to be functional, it must be able to be seen.

In daytime, this means that the pigmented coating remains intact, retains color or whiteness so that it can be easily distinguished from the road surface, and is well-adhered to the road surface for good durability. For nighttime visibility, the retro reflective elements, usually glass beads, must be present and functional. Hence, the glass beads must be properly embedded, retained by the pigmented coating, and resistant to breaking or damage. In addition to durability and functionality of the pavement marking, ease of application is also a primary consideration.

One of the most important ap­plication properties is the time to reach “no track,” or the time required un­til a vehicle driving over the partially dried marking does not track any paint onto the road. There are a large number of traffic marking systems available depending on performance requirements and budgetary constraints. In the present investigation, only the most economical coatings, namely traffic paints, will be considered.