Orange Work Zone Pavement Marking Midwest Field Test

Shaw, John W; Chitturi, Madhav V.; Santiago-Chaparro, Kelvin R.; Qin, Lingqiao; Bill, Andrea R.; Noyce, David A. · 2018 · ROSA P / Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative

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Summary

This study addresses the safety and operational challenges caused by "ghost" or "phantom" pavement markings in highway work zones. When lanes are repositioned for construction, incomplete removal of old markings often leaves residual lines that create ambiguity for drivers, particularly under specific lighting conditions or when salt residue reduces contrast. While special-color markings (orange or yellow) have been used in Europe and Canada to mitigate this issue, their effectiveness in the United States remained unclear. Specifically, prior trials in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were too complex to isolate the effects of orange markings from other traffic management strategies. This research aimed to evaluate driver behavior and acceptance of orange pavement markings in a controlled, simpler environment. The researchers conducted a matched-pair field test on two bridge re-decking projects on Interstate 94 near Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. One site utilized fluorescent orange pavement marking tapes, while the paired control site used standard white and yellow tapes. Data collection involved lateral positioning sensors, site overview cameras, and approach speed radars to monitor vehicle lane positioning and travel speeds. The study analyzed 77,757 lateral positioning observations from the control site and 137,379 from the test site. Additionally, the team conducted a driver survey with 60 respondents and interviewed field engineers to assess subjective preferences and operational utility. The results indicated no statistically significant difference in vehicle lane positioning between the orange and standard marking sites. Subjective visual analysis suggested vehicles in the orange-marked lane tracked slightly further right, but the difference was minimal (4 to 6 inches). Speed data showed vehicles traveled approximately 2 mph faster at the orange site, though researchers cautioned that this likely resulted from geometric differences or driver familiarity with the sequence of work zones rather than the marking color itself. Video analysis revealed marginally fewer vehicles straddling lanes under dusk and rain conditions with orange markings, but the difference was not practically significant. Driver surveys indicated that nearly half of respondents found orange markings more visible than white, while field engineers preferred orange for projects requiring lateral lane shifts or crossovers. The study concludes that orange pavement markings do not cause driver miscomprehension and are preferred by drivers and engineers for complex maneuvers. However, because the markings did not significantly alter objective driving behavior compared to standard colors, the authors recommend reserving orange as an emphasis color for specific work zone locations requiring difficult driving maneuvers. This parsimonious approach aims to prevent driver desensitization to the special color. The findings are considered preliminary, and the report suggests future research should evaluate orange markings across multiple sites and varied work zone scenarios.

Key finding

Vehicle positioning and speed data showed no statistically significant difference between drivers using orange versus standard white and yellow pavement markings in work zones.

Methodology

field_study

Sample size: 215136

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• emergency work zone conspicuity
• signage environment
• work zones
• vehicle conspicuity
• roadway lighting effects
• perceptual countermeasures