Congratulations Independent Highway District as being named a 2020 Innovation Idea Award Nominee.
The District came up with an innovative and cost-effective way to extend centerline marking Life.
The problem was that snowplows in the winter scrape off pavement markings making it difficult for the traveling public to establish their side of the road and for snowplow drivers to establish the center or edge of the road.
The solution was to insert recessed lane striping divots, positioned over the centerline and placed every 40 feet along the alignment of the road. The divots are created by placing 4” x 4” x ¼” steel plates on each side of the centerline on the top of the asphalt mat during the final rolling process. The plates are pressed into the asphalt surface, and then pried out for reuse on the next paving section.
After the paving is completed, the IHD crew installs custom cut 4” x 4” pieces of reflective yellow preformed thermoplastic marking material in the divots along the roadway. The thermoplastic markers sit below the road surface, so when the road is plowed, they do not get scraped off.
After the striping has been worn off, the thermoplastic markings remain visible, providing the traveling public and the IHD plow drivers with a reflective centerline.
These recessed markings also serve as guidelines for post-winter striping, eliminating the time and expense of pre-marking the centerline. The divots remain in place until the road is repaved. The thermoplastic has a life of 5 to 10 years depending upon the weather, quality of adhesion, or other unforeseen issues.
2020 Innovation Idea Awards Announced
On behalf of the selection committee for the Innovation Idea Award, congratulations to all our 2020 Honorees!
It was our pleasure to see so many outstanding nominations from local highway jurisdictions around the state. The nominations we received illustrated how hard the transportation community is continuously striving to develop both time and cost-saving efficiencies.
- Brad Farner, City of Nampa, Street Sweeper
- Jay Davis, Lemhi County, Idaho Programmatic Project
- Independent Highway District, Extending Centerline Marking Life
These submissions, along with the runner ups, will be highlighted on our website. You can find past submissions on our website under the News tab- within the Innovation Idea Award category.
