Rumble Strips

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is making a great effort to reduce the crashes and fatalities in their state. "Safety is always on the forefront in everything we do" said MDOT's James Kopf, Deputy Executive Director/Chief Engineer. MDOT's assertive efforts to test different rumble strip designs in combination with striping, places them on the cutting edge in developing countermeasures to ROR crashes.

The initial reviews at night during the heavy rains of southern Mississippi have indicated an enhanced performance for the striping when applied on the rumble strips. The vertical face of the rumble strips provides a raised texture that enhances the retroreflective performance of the striping material. Following a complete evaluation of this countermeasure, MDOT will determine the extent and the best approach of deployment. If fully implemented, this countermeasure could have significant safety results in Mississippi since it addresses the needs of both attentive drivers with positive guidance and alerts the inattentive drivers with vibration and noise.

Over the course of several months, MDOT's District 6 in Hattiesburg led by Richard Lee, District Engineer, placed several different rumble strip test markers that will help them determine the best rumble strip application. Test sections of rumble strips were placed on I-59, south of Hattiesburg, ranging from 6" to 16". Some sections utilize paint striping on the milled rumble strips and others apply thermoplastic on the milled rumble strips

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