Pavement delineation

Raised Pavement Markers

Enter each curve’s length and speed difference to estimate markers through the curve and at both ends.

MUTCD 11th Edition · Revision 1 Michigan line pattern · PAVE-905-E References & photos ↓

RCOC curve estimateIncludes each curve and three markers before and after it.

Enter the curves

Enter the length from the start of the curve (PC) to its end (PT).

Select the applicable speed difference from the RCOC workbook: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 mph. Curve and approach spacing are set automatically.

Example data

Loading the example replaces the current curve list.

Before the PC & after the PT

Three individual markers outside each end. With a 0 mph speed difference, they are 100, 200, and 300 ft from PC or PT. With a listed 5–30 mph difference, they are 50, 100, and 150 ft from each end.

Price the quantity

Installed price per marker ($)

$66 is the starting price from your earlier estimate.

Totals update as you enter valid curve measurements.

Curve layout

RCOC workbook

50 or 25 ft on curves

Existing RCOC unwritten · workbook spacing table

On curve—

Before / after—

Enter a curve to see its PC, PT, and approach markers.

Squares represent physical retroreflective markers. Color follows the underlying marking (§3B.14 ¶01). All illustrated units are retroreflective.

Curve treatment total

—

Total physical markers: —
On curves, including PC & PT: —
Before / after curves: —
PC-to-PT length: —
Length including end treatments: —

How the quantity is counted

Per curve: round up (length ÷ curve spacing) + 1 for the other endpoint + 6 end markers. Add the curves for the project total.

PC and PT are each counted once. The last interval may be shorter than the selected spacing. Shared markers and overlapping treatments between nearby curves are not deducted automatically.

Per-curve quantities

Each entered curve is counted once. “Ends” means three individual markers before PC and three after PT. Spacing is in feet.
Curve	Length ft	Speed diff. mph	Curve spacing	End spacing	On curve	Ends	Total	Cost

Source: the workbook’s “Existing RCOC unwritten” column and end-marker note. This estimate counts one marker per station; final placement follows the applicable agency project detail.

RCOC workbook method

Curve spacing & workbook basis

RPM Spacing.xlsx
Sheet1!Q26:R34

Spacing table & counting assumptions

Existing RCOC unwritten

Workbook values are tangent / curve spacing; the tangent value is used for the three markers outside each end.
Speed difference	On curve	Before / after
0 mph	50 ft	100 ft
5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 mph	25 ft	50 ft

Only the speed differences listed in the workbook are selectable. Each station counts as one physical marker, including PC and PT. The last curve interval may be shorter than the selected spacing.

The estimate follows the “Existing RCOC unwritten” column in RPM Spacing.xlsx, Sheet1!Q26:R33. The adjacent “Andy proposed” column and archived curvature guidance are separate methods and do not affect these totals.

Workbook placement note: Sheet1!Q34 calls for three RPMs before PC and after PT. The estimate places them at one, two, and three approach-spacing intervals outside each end. Curve markers at PC and PT are included separately.

Spacing stays constant within the curve, with a step to the approach spacing. The workbook’s separate five-second tangent calculation is not added to the three-marker allowance. The optional five-second advance treatment for supplemental centerline RPMs is described in MUTCD §3B.16 ¶04.

Archived curvature guidance — information only

The highlighted excerpt in the workbook is from FHWA-RD-97-152 (1998). Its 80 / 40 / 20 ft values use N = 40 ft. The curvature bands and two-marker rule shown here do not drive the RCOC workbook estimate.

Archived FHWA excerpt: 2N below 3 degrees, N from 3 to below 15 degrees, N/2 at 15 degrees and above, and two RPMs above 20 degrees. — Original workbook image, for reference only. Click to enlarge.

Other MUTCD applications — information only

Browse the provisions and diagrams here. Your curve estimate above stays in place.

Application to read about

MUTCD provision

Read the basis

MUTCD & Michigan references

RPM provisions: MUTCD 11th Edition with Revision 1.
Fixed broken-line cycle: MDOT PAVE-905-E.
Checked September 14, 2026.

Standard identifies a requirement. Guidance is a recommended practice. Option is a permitted treatment. A numerical check does not establish overall compliance.

Michigan broken-line pattern

PAVE-905-E, sheet 1: a 12′-6″ dash and 37′-6″ gap for broken white lane lines and broken yellow centerlines. The full cycle is 50 ft. Dotted lines and other special patterns have separate dimensions on the sheet.

Read PAVE-905-E →

General & positioning guides

§3B.14 ¶01, ¶07–08: color, the full dash-plus-gap N, and closer spacing. §3B.15 ¶01–04: single-row guides and roadway-specific spacing.

Read §§3B.14–3B.15 →

Supplementing markings

§3B.16 ¶01: pairs and longitudinal spacing. ¶02: right-edge-line review. ¶04: the optional five-second curve approach.

Read §3B.16 →

Substituting for markings

§3B.17 ¶03, ¶05–08: retroreflection, broken-line groups, solid-line spacing, and dotted patterns. Mixed reflective/nonreflective arrays are not modeled.

Read §3B.17 →

Michigan projects: the fixed broken-line cycle follows PAVE-905-E. The federal RPM provisions above are references; the estimate follows the workbook’s “Existing RCOC unwritten” speed-difference table. Also use the adopted Michigan MUTCD and applicable agency plans and specifications. This is not a complete Michigan or RCOC project review. MDOT: 2025 MMUTCD and Michigan changes.

View Michigan line patterns — PAVE-905-E

Sheet 1 shows the 12.5 ft dash and 37.5 ft gap used for the fixed broken-line cycle. Plan date March 25, 2020; FHWA approval September 21, 2020. Click to enlarge.

MDOT PAVE-905-E sheet 1 showing 12-foot 6-inch broken-line dashes with 37-foot 6-inch gaps, plus separate dotted-line and special line patterns. — MDOT PAVE-905-E · Longitudinal Line Types & Placement · Sheet 1 of 2

View the official RPM pages

Rendered from the current FHWA PDF. Click to enlarge. Printed page 571 retains its December 2023 date within Revision 1; page 572 includes the December 2025 revisions.

Official MUTCD page 571: N, guide spacing, supplemental marker pairs, spacing, and curve approach guidance. — Printed page 571 · PDF page 612

Official MUTCD page 572: requirements for markers replacing solid, broken, and dotted lines. — Printed page 572 · PDF page 613

Permanent longitudinal layouts only. Temporary flexible markers, wrong-way arrows, bicycle facilities, and special island layouts require their own provisions and are not estimated here.

In the field

What the markers look like

FHWA reference photos, not product endorsements.

Yellow retroreflective raised pavement marker with a reflective face. — **Retroreflective marker**The marker color must match its marking in daylight and at night. This FHWA example is yellow.FHWA, Low-Cost Treatments for Horizontal Curve Safety (2016), Figure 16

Snowplowable retroreflective marker protected by a metal casting recessed in the pavement. — **Snowplowable marker**A recessed casting protects the reflector from plows. Specify agency-approved installation and maintenance details separately.FHWA, Low-Cost Treatments for Horizontal Curve Safety (2016), Figure 17

The 2016 photo source uses older MUTCD section numbering. Use the current links above for the spacing basis.