Corrugated and Reflective Striping

Project Description

Completed 2013

In fall 2012 and spring/summer 2013, a contractor working for Snohomish County applied 152 miles of corrugated/reflective striping along 38 miles of the county roads:

Ben Howard Road, between Monroe and Sultan
Jordan Road, between Granite Falls and Arlington 
Pioneer Highway (north and south of Stanwood 
45 Road (west of Marysville)
67th Avenue NE (between Marysville and Arlington)

Traffic Impacts

Crews striped the center lines, then the edge lines on one side of each road, then the edge lines on the other side of each road. This method prevented a shutdown on any of the roads, but drivers did experience some delays.

Project Benefits

Snohomish County received a $1.7 million federal safety grant to address the problem of vehicles drifting out of lanes or off the road in rural areas. Crews used the grant to apply reflective "corrugated" Methyl Methacrylat (MMA) striping along the centerlines of the roads. The "corrugated" striping was applied on the outside edges of the roads where there are sharp curves. Smooth MMA striping was applied along most of the outside edges of the roads.

Reflective MMA striping with "corrugated" raised ridges is applied so that drivers feel a rumble effect when vehicles stray out of their lanes.

A national study in 2008 found that 60 percent of all traffic fatalities were caused by vehicles leaving the roadway or veering into oncoming traffic. "Corrugated" striping has a higher profile, is more reflective at night and in wet weather than smooth striping, and more clearly shows the centerlines and edges of a road.

MMA striping also has a longer life expectancy than traditional paint and is more resistant to snowplow damage. The county used this striping on roads that have a history of crossover or run-off-the-road collisions.