Comparative Modeling of Nighttime Retroreflectivity and Contrast of Pavement Markings Across Asphalt Mixture Types Under Dry-Climate Conditions

This study investigates how asphalt mixture type influences the degradation of pavement-marking retroreflectivity and luminance contrast under real operational conditions on Israeli intercity roads. Field measurements were collected along 65.1 km of roadway constructed with three asphalt mixtures: basalt dense-graded concrete (Basalt DCG), basalt stone mastic asphalt (Basalt SMA), and basalt–dolomite dense-graded concrete (Zebra DCG). Linear degradation models provided the best representation of retroreflectivity decay (R² = 0.63). Results show that asphalt mixture type significantly affects initial retroreflectivity, contrast, and effective service life of left-side white paint markings. Markings applied on Basalt DCG exhibited initial retroreflectivity values up to 1.6–1.9 times higher and maintained acceptable visibility for approximately 7–8 months, compared with about 3 months on Zebra DCG under comparable conditions. Traffic volume was not a statistically significant predictor, indicating that degradation is dominated by time-dependent material and optical aging processes. Pavement background reflectivity and its evolution play a critical role in contrast degradation. The results demonstrate that asphalt mixture selection can reduce repainting frequency by approximately 10–15%, highlighting asphalt mixture choice as a practical and previously underrecognized lever for improving pavement-marking durability and long-term visibility.