Materials selection for structured horizontal road markings: financial and environmental case studies

Burghardt, Tomasz E.; Pashkevich, Anton · 2020 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1186/s12544-020-0397-x

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Summary

This study addresses the financial and environmental trade-offs of selecting materials for structured horizontal road markings, a critical safety feature that requires periodic renewal. While road markings significantly reduce accidents, their maintenance imposes recurring costs and environmental burdens. The authors aim to determine whether premium materials, despite higher initial costs, offer long-term financial neutrality and reduced environmental impact compared to standard systems over a 10-year lifecycle. The research employs a comparative case study methodology, analyzing field data from motorways in Poland and Switzerland with similar traffic loads. The study contrasts a "standard" system (cold plastic base with standard glass beads and solventborne paint renewals) against a "premium" system (cold plastic base with high-refractive-index premium glass beads and high-performance waterborne paint renewals). Service life was determined by measuring retroreflected luminance (RL) until it dropped below the European Union Road Federation’s recommended minimum of 150 mcd/m²/lx. Financial analysis utilized estimated material and labor costs from Polish tenders, while environmental assessment relied on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) principles, calculating raw material consumption based on Safety Data Sheets and Technical Data Sheets. Field tests revealed that the premium system significantly extended service life. The premium cold plastic markings lasted 5 years, whereas the standard system failed after 2 years. Consequently, over a 10-year period, the premium system required fewer renewals. Financially, the premium system had a higher initial application cost (10.79 EUR/m² vs. 6.68 EUR/m²) but lower annualized costs. When combining initial application and renewals, the total 10-year cost for the premium system was 15.71 EUR/m², compared to 16.08 EUR/m² for the standard system, resulting in a slight financial saving. Environmentally, the premium system required 54% less glass beads and 63% less paint over the lifecycle. Although it consumed 21% more titanium dioxide, this was offset by a 25% reduction in acrylic resin and a 97% reduction in organic solvent usage and emissions, primarily due to the shift from solventborne to waterborne paints and reduced application frequency. The study concludes that premium road marking systems are financially neutral or slightly advantageous in the long term and offer substantial environmental benefits, particularly in reducing solvent emissions. These findings provide a decision-making tool for road administrators, policymakers, and contractors, demonstrating that investing in higher-quality materials can minimize both financial burdens and carbon footprints without compromising safety performance.

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• signage environment