Pavement markings serve an essential role in our transportation infrastructure. These visual cues provide wayfinding guidance and help road, trail, and sidewalk users better navigate the built environment. In many municipalities, creative pavement markings have also been used to recognize notable individuals, sports teams, cultural communities, or regional landmarks that contribute to the area’s economy and sense of place. However, recent updates to the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) have raised questions about the value and safety of asphalt art. A recent CTS webinar brought together representatives from five entities to share their insights on these concerns.
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) engineer Ethan Peterson began by defining two types of pavement markings. A road paving material, paint, or surface treatment used to communicate regulations or guidance “is used as a traffic control device,” he said. Meanwhile, surface treatments such as bricks, pavers, or patterns are purely aesthetic. “The core philosophy consistent across the old and new MUTCD is that any color or pattern [located] at a traffic control device must comply with standards. Aesthetic surface treatments are only allowed if they do not interfere with, degrade the contrast of, or obscure official traffic control devices,” he noted. However, there is room for interpretation within these definitions, and MnDOT is developing a technical memorandum on aesthetic pavement markings for MnDOT roadways, available in early 2026.
Chris Sagsveen, project director at engineering firm SRF, previewed the findings of an Local Road Research Board (LRRB) report on pavement art. “There are testimonies on how these projects can transform streets into vibrant public spaces, foster community engagement, encourage active transportation, and support traffic calming effects, but current policies and regulations are often unclear or inconsistent,” he said. For the report, the LRRB surveyed agencies across the nation to gain a thorough understanding of asphalt art, including materials, safety, maintenance, application areas, funding sources, and environmental impacts. The final report includes recommendations for future applications based on the findings.
Researcher Shirley Shiqin Liu with CTS’s Accessibility Observatory discussed how roadway and crossing characteristics influence walking comfort and safety. Everyone, including children and older adults, should feel safe and comfortable using sidewalks and intersections, she said, but factors such as road features, the presence of sidewalks, and traffic volumes all shape that perception. Observatory researchers are gathering street-level data to understand how the existing built environment affects pedestrians' ability to reach destinations and services, and Liu added that it could be interesting to further study how pavement art interacts with existing crossing attributes and pedestrian stress. “This might inform decisions on where to install such art,” she said. “Will it become a form of distraction, or will it help ease traffic stress?”
One real-world case study is in the East Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. Jennie Meinz, manager of the Healthy Living team at the City of Minneapolis Health Department, described how multiple city departments and researchers collaborated with the Little Earth community to address pedestrian safety with intersection design and asphalt painting. “All the partners had different priorities, but they all really valued the safety of the community,” Meinz said. “We want to create activity-friendly places where people live. One way to do that is through changing the built environment to increase ease of movement.”
People with vision impairments are uniquely challenged by pavement markings, said CTS scholar Nichole Morris, associate professor and director of the Human Factors Safety Lab at the University of Minnesota (UMN). According to the MUTCD, non-reflective materials must be used in asphalt art, and images must not add distraction or confusion to intersections. But some art installations have contributed to overall crash reductions. Along with UMN researchers Curtis Craig (mechanical engineering) and Gordon Legge (psychology), Morris is evaluating studies on how asphalt art can effectively support visibility. “Our overarching goal is to understand the expected risk of aesthetic markings and provide guidance about the best approaches.”
—Amy Goetzman, contributing writer
