A first in Pavement Striping Assessment for the USA
Striping Service and Supply, Inc. (SSS) is the first USA striping contractor certified by TxDOT to operate the RetroTek-MU road striping Retro-reflectometer. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) stringent certification program provides a quantitative basis for evaluating the ability of a contractor to operate their retro-reflectometer equipment to accurately measure the retro-reflectivity (RL) of long-line pavement markings.
The program was developed and administered by TTI through an implementation project sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). TTI Certification consists of taking numerous pavement markings measurements of various colours, patterns, and retro-reflectivity levels and providing the measurement results to the TTI officials for assessment.
Jay Green, a veteran retro-reflectometer operator with SSS attended the TTI certification course in April 2018 & is the first survey operator and user to be certified using the RetroTek-MU. TTI Certification allows SSS to be eligible for TxDOT pavement markings retro-reflectivity contracts and complete them with confidence.
According to Jay, “We are delighted with the performance of the RetroTek-MU as it measures the striping on both sides of the lane in one pass without the need to switch the sensor from one side of the vehicle to the other. At the end of surveying, all the data can be quickly prepared & sent to district TX Dot officials, without the need for hours of post-processing. The RetroTek-MU technical support is second to none.”
The RetroTek-MU leads the next generation of vehicle mounted retroreflectors. It is unlike traditional side-mounted retro-reflectometers in that it is centre mounted on the front of a vehicle. This eliminates the need to drive close to the striping at the edge of the lane, thus, it is safe for the operator and other road users as not protruding from the side of the vehicle and not subject to dirt ingress from the vehicle’s front wheels.
The RetroTek-MU sensor is mounted higher than the side mounted systems as it surveys at 15mts distance (conforming to 30 metre geometry), and less likely to get damaged with impact from speed ramps, etc. The sensor does not need to be switched from one side of the vehicle to the other to survey different lines i.e. edge & centre markings, as the RetroTek-MU surveys across the full width of a lane in one pass. This eliminates a lot of survey downtime and reduces man hours, survey time and travel distances by up to half.
It is easy to fit, calibrate, operate, and remove, with a comprehensive suite of mapping and video software for post survey analysis. It is independently certified to ASTM E 1710 & CEN EN 1436. In addition to surveying both lines and studs across a lane, it can detect and measure centre lane markings and symbols, which side mounted systems cannot do.
Joe Turley CEO of RMS Ltd, the developers of the RetroTek-MU, claims that “After 4 years of research and development, it is the most efficient, economical, easy to calibrate and operate vehicle mounted retro-reflectometer compared to any other traditional side-mounted system commercially available today. With the advent of Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS), this technology will assist road agencies and infrastructure stakeholders to assess and manage the pavement markings of their entire road network safely & quickly. We are delighted that Herbert Bickley Vice President Business Development at Striping Service and Supply Inc, chose our RetroTek-MU technology to address their increasing demand for safe, fast & reliable pavement striping assessment.”
Striping Service and Supply offers a full line of pavement marking supplies and equipment for contractors including a complete line of paints, thermoplastic, preform markings, custom and standard signs, and all striping supplies and road striping retro-reflectivity assessment readings. Based in Grand Prairie, Texas, with branches across Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. SSS continues to set the industry standards in pavement striping and other pavement needs for 100% customer satisfaction.
Reflective Measurement Systems Ltd’s mission is to develop safe, efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly maintenance solutions for the road infrastructure industry. They are dedicated to developing commercially viable vehicle mounted road asset technologies to measure the retroreflective and visibility properties of road surface assets, on global road networks.
