State of The Practice for Shoulder and Center Line Rumble Strip Implementation on Non-Freeway Facilities

Center line rumble strips (CLRSs) and shoulder rumble strips (SRSs) are proven countermeasures for reducing roadway departure crashes, including head-on and run-off-road crashes. The objectives of this project were twofold. The first objective was to develop a rumble strip decision support guide to inform agencies on CLRS and SRS installation. The second objective was to document the current state of the practice for CLRS and SRS installation, conduct a gap analysis, and provide a framework for future research related to further implementation of rumble strips. This research includes a literature review detailing research related to rumble strip design, noise and vibration testing methods and findings, impacts on bicyclists and motorcyclists, pavement condition impacts, pavement marking visibility, operational effectiveness, and safety effectiveness. The project also reviewed current department policies and standard drawings for rumble strip implementation strategies, systematic installation criteria, currently used rumble strip dimensions, high-crash corridor installation practices, and special considerations and rumble strip modifications. This report details the development of the decision support guide and includes a gap analysis and action plan for future rumble strip research. Future research can help agencies identify the optimal rumble strip design for installations. The full reportis on te FHWA web site at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/17026/17026.pdf