How Pavement Reflectivity Improves Safety and Efficiency

Brighter pavements are not only attractive because they look clean, but they also help determine how well that space operates. By reflection of visible and solar energy, high albedo surfaces support night visibility, heat sinking, and longer life of the paving materials. For planners and engineers of facilities, reflectivity becomes an item that enables reduction of operating costs along with improvement of user safety. It assists with environmental goals by reducing lighting and cooling requirements.

Light-Colored Pavement Benefits

Light pavements return lighter to the drivers, cameras and pedestrians. This increases their visibility and that of the area by allowing light to be reflected, without just adding more fixtures. A concrete paving contractor or an asphalt contractor can vary the mix design or coat selection to obtain some specific reflectance requirements. On campuses, and distribution yards, even a small increase in albedo can change the number of poles or fixtures needed in the lighting plan.

• Brighter surfaces enhance uniform luminance allowing the lighting systems to achieve their target illuminance at lower watts or with less glare banding.
• The cooler temperatures of slabs and mats reduce thermal cycling and shrinkage stress, which may help to reduce micro cracking and joint distress.
• The contrast between the surface and objects is improved, giving more clarity to security cameras and readabilities of license plates.
• Reflective ground planes give a better backdrop for signs and painted symbols, thus aiding prompt recognition in complex campuses.

Urban Heat Island Effect

Cities are heat sinks. The dark pavements behave in a manner of thermal well reservoirs which release the heat that is engendered and stored into the atmospheric heat reservoirs and consequently elevate the ambient temperatures. High albedo “cool” pavements reflect more sunlight and repel it, thereby reducing the temperature of the pavement surface and the amount of heat transmitted to surrounding air. Check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_pavement to know more.

Lower ambient temperatures can also limit ozone formation and improve outdoor thermal comfort for pedestrians. Low pavement temperature protects binders and also reduces rutting pressure during hot periods. This may result in more uniform operations in large parking fields and less pressure on nearby HVAC intakes.

When combined with disciplined management of parking lot maintenance, such as periodic sweeping, filling of cracks in a timely manner, and care of drainage, reflective pavements help to preserve structural capacity and serviceability.

Traffic Safety Improvements

Visibility is a safety system. Reflective pavements work in combination with luminaires, markings and signage to improve contrast and shorten the time for recognition. Even small improvements in uniformity of luminance enable the driver and the cyclist to see hazards sooner, particularly in the case of wet conditions at night when glare is a factor.

Improvement in contrast will also assist in the improvement of pavement markings and visibility of crosswalks to both drivers and pedestrians. Especially in wet conditions, these effects are magnified in the incidence of brightness of the pavement plane which reduces veiling luminance of other traffic approaches.

• Crosswalks, stop bars and legends are clearer, which increases compliance and wayfinding effectiveness.
• Lane edges are easier to follow for older drivers and night crews such as those from shipping and receiving departments and therefore lessen the chance of residual weave of traffic and near misses.
• Sensors placed upon automated sweepers and security cars increase the perceptual reliability of the pavement plane.
• Pavement striping benefits through increased contrast, providing improved functional visibility within the period of restriping of pavement markings.

Reflective Coatings Explained

Not everywhere can utilize different mixes or full-depth light concrete. Reflective coatings lend themselves to retrofits on both asphalt and concrete. These soupy acrylic or polymer-modified systems incorporate highly reflective pigments and fine aggregate that provide increased solar reflectance while retaining proper skid resistance.

Preparation of the surface with cleaning, degreasing, patching, etc., is essential, along with primer coats (where applicable) and two thin top coatings to ensure uniform film build. Many of the systems are designed to be low- VOC and pass local air quality specifications, which simplifies permitting. Coatings can be incorporated along with asset strategies like resurfacing: mill and overlay for the structural aspect, then a cool top coating for optical and thermal performance.

In this connection, it may be best to work with experienced asphalt contractor Hermosa Village on various assignments in Anaheim’s Hermosa Village area to assess coating chemistries, friction testing and the time frames for the coat cycles dependent on traffic and local climate.

Specifying a target solar reflectance index (SRI – see here for more) and a minimum wet-skid value ensures safety. Coatings should be field mocked to assess glare, texture and color consistency of the various patches, joints, and trench cuts. For upper-end heavy duty lanes, select formulations including ceramic or glass microspheres for the preservation of a macrotexture and skid over time.

Maintenance of Bright Surfaces

Reflective pavements remain effective when maintained clean and whole. Dirt, soot, tire remanences and oils dull the surface and reduce both solar and color reflectance. A good plan of maintenance protects the optical properties while inhibiting traction and durability.

• implement a cleaning cycle: frequent sweeping and various times periodic low-pressure washing for the removal of fines and film that reduce reflectiveness.
• remove stains quickly with recognized detergents: when required test small patches to assess optical changes in finish or texture.
• Evaluate film degradation in wheel patterns and where forklifts operate; plan recoat cycles before total weakness appears in the base layer.
• Integrate repair spotting with same-colored materials and file the friction test results after maintenance uses.

When reflective topcoats are part of a broad program: patch-sealing, joint maintenance and selective seal coating where indicated is the resultant answer, which manifests itself in a safer, cooler and more predictable surface where use occurs over-time. Considering the matter of reflectivity as an asset managed so adds to the resilience of the facility team, clearer way findings, and lower energy demand without sacrificing traction and durability.

The strength effect manifests as cooler pavements, smoother operations, and measurable reductions in total lifecycle costs of paved infrastructure.