OPSS PROV 710 Construction Specification for Pavement Markings

The 24 comments received from the OPSS 710 technical consultation process were summarized into 15 items. Items 1 to 12 were implemented in the OPSS 710 specification.

1. 710.10.07 – change to reapplication.

2. 710.07.04.03.01 – change to “using compressed air”.

3. Minimum temperature for paint application should be changed from 5C to 10C.

4. Consider specifying max. 70% R.H. for paint application.

5. Consider leaving 1kg/L glass bead application rate for PMAS. Note that glass bead rate for plate samples according to LS-425 with paint shall be minimum 0.8kg/L. The 1kg/L requirement for PMAS is 

to account for some loss of beads during application.

6. 710.07.03 – change to allow grinding as a removal method. Although grinding can cause more pavement damage than abrasive blasting, it may be necessary when removing thermoplastic and thick MMA.

7. Consider waiving requirement of 150CFM air compressor when using small, portable application equipment used for transverse lines and symbols.

8. Change the bead rate specification for durables in Table 3 to minimum values (e.g., min 1.5kg/10m^2 of marking for thermoplastic instead of 1.5 +/- 0.1).

9. Table 5: sample size: consider changing sample sizes from 125mL to 500mL. Contractor commented that a very small sample is difficult to retrieve from the spray nozzle with a small can.

10. 710.06.04 Recessing Equipment: A dual head grinder truck will be specified, with the final cut made with a double stacked diamond blade.

11. 710.07.05.05 Removal of Short Term, Temporary, and Temporary Non-removable Pavement Markings:

“Removal of pavement marking shall completely remove the pavement marking without damaging the pavement surface, colour, or texture”.

- MTO will change wording to indicate minimal damage to the pavement.

12. Item 710.0 6.04 Recessing Equipment: MTO will consider adding the following line: The final cut shall be made with a diamond stacked blade to produce a fine corduroy finish.

Items 1 3 and 1 4 were not implemented in the new OPSS 710 specification, but will be considered 

in future revisions:

13. Consider adding adhesion test with a hammer and cold chisel for thermoplastic.

14. Item 710.08.03.02 Acceptance

“Unacceptable loss of pavement markings and reflectorizing glass beads shall be removed and replaced at no additional cost to the Owner”.

In the past, we have re-applied over markings that have failed. Please explain why you want the initial application removed and replaced versus just reapplying.

MTO will clarify these points. Allow retracing of thin sprays like spray MMA and paint but require removal of thick durables. The durables’ manufacturers require complete removal before reapplication. A very thick marking would be more easily removed by snowplow blades.

For textured MMA, perhaps require a refresh with spray MMA to avoid damage to pavement by obliterating. Thermoplastic must be removed before reapplication.