TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 339: Centerline Rumble Strips (CLRS) examines current design, installation, configuration, dimension, and visibility issues associated with CLRS. The report addresses the need for guidance on warrants, benefits, successful practices, and concerns such as external noise and the reduced visibility of centerline striping material. Also addressed are pavement deterioration, ice buildup in the grooves, adverse impact on emergency vehicles, and the effect of CLRS on bicyclists. Particular attention was paid to available before-and-after CLRS installation crash data to document the safety aspects of CLRS and the availability of policies, guidelines, warrants, and costs regarding their use and design.

This report provides guidance for the design and application of shoulder and centerline rumble strips as an effective crash reduction measure, while minimizing adverse effects for motorcyclists, bicyclists, and nearby residents. Using the results of previous studies and the research conducted under this project, safety effectiveness estimates were developed for shoulder rumble strips on rural freeways and rural two-lane roads and for centerline rumble strips on rural and urban two-lane roads.

This report presents an evaluation of centerline rumble strips on a two-lane mountain highway. Accident data before and after construction is given to demonstrate the improvement in safety. Visual evaluations of the effects of the rumble strips on the condition of the pavement and centerline striping are given. Centerline rumble strips are recommended for installation on two-lane highways where there is a history of crossover (head-on and sideswipe from opposite directions) type accidents.

Within the last decade, centerline rumble strips have become increasingly prevalent as a safety countermeasure on undivided roadways throughout the United States. Within the state of Georgia, nearly 200 miles of centerline rumble strips have been installed in an effort to address the severity and frequency of crashes involving the centerline. With several thousands of miles of new installations throughout the nation in the last decade, much literature on this subject is still being amassed. This paper will compile and summarize existing literature in order to provide a thorough overview of the latest information from around the United States regarding the safety, usage, and impacts of centerline rumble strips. Furthermore, this paper seeks to comprehensively determine the safety impacts of centerline rumble strips on undivided, rural highway facilities in the state of Georgia. This portion of the study will prepare an updated inventory of centerline rumble strip installations in Georgia and perform a before-after study using three methods: a direct before-after analysis, a comparison before-after analysis, and a comparative analysis. These analyses will incorporate data from crash databases, police records, and traffic records to produce results unique to Georgia. Lastly, this paper will determine the current status of centerline rumble strips and the potential short- and long-term safety, physical, and unintended effects of centerline rumble strips both in the state of Georgia and throughout the United States through a survey sent to all fifty state transportation agencies. Through literature compilation, safety analyses, and findings on the effects of centerline rumble strips, this paper will aid in the future of centerline rumble strips within Georgia and the United States.