3(09)-001(E) - 3D Crosswalk Markings — Chicago

FHWA's Response Letter Approving the Request to Experiment

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.
Washington, D.C. 20590

February 22, 2010

In Reply Refer To: HOTO-1

Thomas H. Powers, P.E.
Acting Commissioner
City of Chicago Department of Transportation
30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60602-2570

Dear Mr. Powers:

Thank you for your December 14, 2009, letter requesting approval to experiment with the use of a series of colored crosswalk and pedestrian warning pavement markings that create the illusion of being three-dimensional (3D) to attempt to increase yielding by motor vehicles at two locations in Chicago. We have also received a February 8 e-mail from Ms. Kiersten Grove of your staff, responding to a number of questions about your proposed experiment that were raised by Federal Highway Administration staff.

We have reviewed your proposal, evaluation plan, and answers to our questions, and we agree that this experiment may provide useful information about the potential of 3D markings to improve motorist yielding behavior at crosswalks. We also agree that the most important aspect of this experiment, given the nature of the markings, is to determine whether any effects are long-lasting. Further, a release that has been signed by the manufacturer of the patented 3D markings, Sekisui Jushi Corporation of Osaka, Japan, is in our files and will be applicable to your experiment.

Your experimentation is approved for a period of up to 2 years after installation of the markings. Please be aware of any State laws and/or directives covering the application of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) provisions that may exist in Illinois. We have assigned this matter the following experiment number and title: "3(09)-001(E) - 3D Crosswalk Markings — Chicago." Please refer to this number in any future correspondence. We look forward to receiving your periodic interim and final reports on this experiment. If there are any further questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Scott Wainwright of our MUTCD Team at scott.wainwright@dot.gov or by telephone at 202-366-0857.

Thank you for your interest in traffic operations and safety.

Sincerely yours,

Original signed by:

Mark R. Kehrli
Director, Office of Transportation Operations