Case Study

Maine Turnpike Authority Addresses Driver Needs with Innovative
Approach to Sign Sheeting and Pavement Marking Tape
The Maine Turnpike Authority is a quasi-state agency
that operates a 109-mile toll highway (I-95) that begins
in Kittery (located on the state’s border with NewHampshire) and ends in Augusta, the state’s capital.
The first section of the Maine Turnpike opened in1947, making it the second oldest superhighway in thecountry. The Maine Turnpike Authority recorded 79.5
million vehicle transactions in 2015; of that number,passenger cars totaled 71.8 million.

Project: Pavement Marking Tape andRefl ective Sign Sheeting Program
Location: State of Maine
Owner: Maine Turnpike Authority
Products: Reflective tape and sheeting

Maine faces some unique challenges when it comes tobest serving its drivers. According to the U.S. Census,
Maine’s population has the highest median age of any
state in the country. Since vision deteriorates with age,more visible road signs are needed for an aging driver
population.
Maine also has a large tourism industry, with many
drivers on its roads who are not familiar with the area.
“Having clearly marked roadway signage is particularly
important to us for people who are traveling here fromother places,” said Stephen Tartre, P.E., director ofengineering and building maintenance for the Maine
Turnpike Authority.
To increase the visibility of its highway signs in thedark, the authority has used 3M sign sheeting almost
exclusively for the past 17 years. The sign sheeting ispurchased through a state contract, Tartre said. The
authority also had been using pavement markers forabout two decades to enhance the reflectivity of thepainted lines on its highway. However, this solutionwww.3m.com/roadsafety

The state of Maine has the highest median age of any state in the U.S.,
meaning its aging driver population needs to be able to navigate highways
with relative ease.

required annual upkeep following the use of plows,
salt and sand each winter.
“(The recessed pavement markers) would either pop
out because of our plowing operations, or, if they
stayed in, within a couple years the reflectivity wentaway due to the sandblasting from the sand and salt
we put out on the roads,” Tartre said. “After two years,(the pavement markers) were pretty much useless.”© 3M 2017. All Rights Reserved.

Case Study
Trying new kinds of paint didn’t result in an effective
alternative, Tartre said, and the Maine Turnpike
Authority decided to stop using the markers. “Theyweren’t cost effective to use, and they provided littlebenefit,” he said.

manager at the Maine Turnpike Authority. In 2016,
more than 13,000 square feet of 3M™ Diamond Grade™
DG3 Reflective Sign Sheeting was added to tollway
signs. In 2017, the authority added around 9,200
square feet, according to Norwood.

Pilot Leads to Full Implementation

The use of reflective sheeting and tape makes theMaine Turnpike Authority a proactive customer,
said Michael Allen, senior government traffic safety
specialist at 3M. “They are very innovative in theirapproach to life-saving devices,” he said.

Looking for a new solution to complement its regular
painting, the Maine Turnpike Authority decided
in 2012 to conduct a pilot test of 3M™ Stamark™
Pavement Marking Tape Series 380 on one mile of its
toll highway. Following the success of that pilot, theauthority has been working since 2013 to add the tapeto its whole highway, Tartre said. So far, tape has been
added to about 6 to 10 miles of highway each year,
and the pavement tape should be added to the fullhighway by 2021.
The Maine Turnpike Authority also plans to replace all
major guide signs on the entire length of its roadway
over a five-year period, said Ralph Norwood, a project

The Maine Turnpike Authority has also started using
wet reflective removable tape in work zones, Allen
said. This helps drivers, especially in dark and wetconditions, to distinguish new highway lines fromghost lines left behind after old lines are grinded away.

Continuing Effectiveness3M has provided “great support” through the project,including providing all the technical data needed andhelping with the installation of the tape. “They provide
the proper specs to install the tape correctly, andthey actually come out in the field and work with ourcontractors to bring them up to speed,” Tartre said.
The Maine Turnpike Authority continues to monitor
the reflectivity of the tape, Tartre said. Unlike thepavement markers that became ineffective after eachwinter, the 3M pavement marking tape added to thetoll highway since 2012 continues to be effective. “Wedeem this to be very successful,” Tartre said.
Request a product demo

The Maine Turnpike Authority turned to reflective pavement marking tapefrom 3M after years of using recessed pavement markers that required
annual upkeep and maintenance.

www.3m.com/roadsafety© 3M 2017. All Rights Reserved.