Rumble Strips

Water on the surface of pavement markings typically reduces the marking’s retroreflectivity and may cause pavement markings to become nearly invisible during wet conditions at night. The water on the surface of the marking reflects light away from its source and doesn’t allow the beads in the pavement marking to reflect light back towards its source. This condition is referred to as “wet-night” and the retroreflectivity during this condition is referred to as “wet-night retroreflectivity”. To improve a marking’s wet-night retroreflectivity, some states have experimented with placing markings on rumble strips. This may improve wet-night retroreflectivity by providing a slanted surface that quickly drains water off the surface of the marking. The placement of pavement markings on rumble strips has been referred to as “rumble stripes”.

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