I was driving in eastern Pennsylvania recently and on Route 80 (both
eastbound and westbound) there were slightly rasied strips of yellow
and white paint going across the righthand lane. These strips spanned
the width of the right lane, were never in the left lane, and were not
very deep. They appeared to have some aspects of rumble strips to
them, but there was no reason to have rumble strips in the areas where
they were on the highway. The groups of strips seemed to go on for
*about* a tenth af a mile and seemed to come at random on the highway.
These last two observations are subjective, however.

My question: What are these strips?

Hi sebastiangard-ga

What you were seeing is typical of what is called a “ paint test deck”
– that is an area of the highway that is chosen for testing the
durability of different paints so that the Department of
Transportation can decide on brand and formulation before striping an
entire roadway. Paints are either applied in stripes across individual
lanes or both lanes, and usually in “sets.”

Here is information on current paint test deck projects going on in
Pennsylvania on Interstate 80 –

PENNSYLVANIA DOT  (PENNDOT)
PAVEMENT MARKING TEST DECKS TO BE PLACED ALONG I-80
http://www.dot.state.pa.us/penndot/districts/District3.nsf/f99071963d03038c8525692f0041a9ac/55544a14806ae5da85256bed004ed7a4?OpenDocument


GLENN HIGHWAY TEST DECK PHOTOS – FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION -
ALASKA
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/stwddes/research/assets/documents/research_projects/pmm/glenn_photos_looking_n.pdf


Now, the only other thing to take into consideration is the raised
aspect of the stripes you are referring to. They don’t sound like
speed cushions – a squarish speed hump in roadway. These do not
typically extend the width of the roadway and are designed slow down
traffic. But, they are wide and square, and don’t resemble your
description of  “strips of yellow and white paint.” Also, they are
more often used in cities.

UK DEPT OF TRANSPORT – SPEED CUSHIONS
http://www.roads.dft.gov.uk/roadnetwork/ditm/tal/traffic/01_98/

The randomness of the lines probably rules out markers used for aerial
speed surveillance. And you say there was no need for any speed
control devices such as the warning of rumble strips. My only other
inclination would be to consider the grade of the highway. (I know how
steep Pennsylvania can be!) If it was a steep downhill, perhaps it was
a warning for truck drivers.

Finally, if you just can’t live with “probably” then here’s the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation contact information.

PENNDOT Central Office
Keystone Building
400 North Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120
General Information: 717-787-2838
FAX: 717-787-1738
http://www.dot.state.pa.us/

Riverfront Office Center (Driver and Vehicle Services)
1101 South Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17104-2516
General Information: 1-800-932-4600
Fax: 717-783-0505

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM
http://www.dot.state.pa.us/


(I’d be happy to call for you, but I’m in another country so the
long-distance phone call would be prohibitive. And besides, today is
Sunday :-) )


Thanks for the question –

-K~

search term:

highway stripes Pennsylvania
paint test deck 
speed control devices

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Request for Answer Clarification by sebastiangard-ga on 22 Sep 2002 14:24 PDT

Just curious... what country *are* you in?

---

Clarification of Answer by knowledge_seeker-ga on 22 Sep 2002 17:06 PDT

Wow, what a rave review! Thanks! 

As much as I'd like to tell you where I am, Google TOS prevents me
from answering questions regarding personal information. Sorry.  But I
will share this --

I can NOT drive through PA without breaking into  ... "It was just
after dark when the truck started down the hill that leads into
Scranton Pennsylvania ..."

Harry Chapin "30,000 lbs of bananas"
http://www.angelfire.com/nc3/harrychapin/harrychapin95.htm

Again, thanks for the great rating. There are now enough stars and
stripes on this page to make me proud to be American ..wherever I am. 
:-)

-K~

Wow. I pride myself on being able to find answers to random questions
using google, and this one had totally stumped me. This is excellent
work answering a TOTALLY useless question. Of course, that's my
favorite kind of knowledge.

I am sure that the paint test is correct. I had already ruled out your
other suggestions before posing the question.

The most inpressive aspect of this answer is the speed with which it
came. Nice work. Also, I paid $10 for my last piece of useless
information, so this one was a bargain by comparison.

I work for the Pa Dept of Trans. The painted yellow and white lines
are test products for highway paint.  A few years ago we had to change
the highway paint to be Environmentally friendly, with that change
came the fact that the paint did not hold up anywhere as long. 
Therefor the state is testing paint from all different companies to 
see which holds up better.  Also which brand allows the reflection at
night.  Hope that helps.