DEGAROUTE® BASED ROAD MARKINGS

FOR HOT CLIMATES

INFORMATION, GUIDANCE AND PROTECTION

FOR ROAD USERS IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES
Markings on public roads are an
important contribution to road
safety. They serve as a reliable
guide for drivers and pedestrians
during the day and at night.
Traditionally, solvent-borne paint
and thermoplastic count among the
road marking systems that are
widely used in African countries.
However, these systems suffer from
high dirt pick-up in hot and dry cli-
mates resulting in severe soiling of
roadmakings. While solvent-­borne
paint is less durable and involves
the emission of VOC, thermoplastic
requires heating prior to application
causing extra cost. A highly durable,
resource efficient and cost-effec-
tive alternative to the traditionally
used road marking systems rep-
resents cold plastic. Cold plastic
systems based on DEGAROUTE®
are particularly advantageous in
hot climates due to unique anti-dirt
pick-up solutions provided by
DEGAROUTE® technology. Further-
more, DEGAROUTE® based road
marking systems are environmen-
tally friendly as they involve partic-
ularly low VOC emission.
DEGAROUTE® resins are used as
binders for the production of two-­
component cold plastic materials
that are chemically cured upon
addition of a hardener component
to form a cold plastic road marking.
Through its network of formulators,
who are responsible for the prepa-
ration of ready-to-use marking
material, Röhm supplies
DEGAROUTE® binders to the Afri-
can countries. Furthermore, the
DEGAROUTE® team supports its
customers and associates world-
wide with technical assistance and
expertise, as well as with training
courses and further service fea-
tures. All over the globe, road
authorities, safety agencies and
road engineers, etc. use
DEGAROUTE® based cold plastics
to improve road safety, save lives
and cut down costs.

WHEN COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL MARKINGS, SUCH AS THERMOPLASTIC AND

SOLVENT-BASED MARKINGS, COLD PLASTIC ROAD MARKINGS BASED ON DEGAROUTE® RESINS
HAVE CLEAR ADVANTAGES:

• Stability at high temperatures as well as resistance against abrasion and heavy traffic load
• Produced locally through the network of formulators and (unlike other imported road markings)
adding value to the local economy
• Anti-dirt pick-up effect keeps markings white and well visible for a long time
• No heat required, providing greater safety to applicators
• Very easy to apply in any shape, color and area size
• Quick application with short curing times
• Resource-efficient and environmentally friendly with low VOC emission

1 Cold plastic road markings based on DEGAROUTE®

PROJECT PROFILE | BASED ON THE EXAMPLE OF ACCRA, GHANA

COMPARISON OF COLD PLASTIC

VS. THERMOPLASTIC

SITE APPLICATION

COUNTRY Ghana APPLICATION Zebra crossing

LOCATION Osu SURFACE Existing concrete

ROAD 28 February Street (Osu Asante Blohum Intersection) APPLICATION DATE August 2016

REASON FOR SITE Heavy urban traffic, dirty road EQUIPMENT Manual

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The project was done to compare
the durability and performance of
cold plastic vs. thermoplastic as
road marking system on a street in
Accra with high traffic load and dirt
pick-up. The project served as a
yardstick for the Department of
Urban Roads, Ghana Highways
Authority and the Road Ministry
to approve cold plastic as marking
system.
The site was selected by the
Department of Urban Roads in
coordination with representatives
of Ghana Highways Authority and
the Road Ministery. The road mark-
ing application was decided to be a
zebra crossing with twelve stripes
and two stop lines.
One half of the zebra crossing was
applied with DEGAROUTE® based
cold plastic material, the other half
was done with thermoplastic. Both
applications were performed by the
same applicator on the same day.
The project pictures confirm the
key advantages of cold plastic
based on DEGAROUTE® as long-­
lasting road marking system with
excellent anti-dirt pick-up perfor-
mance for high visibility and im-
proved road safety.

PROJECT PICTURES
Day time of Osu Asante Blohum Intersection at 28 February Street for comparison of cold plastic vs. thermoplastic

DEGAROUTE®

Thermoplastic

Thermoplastic

DEGAROUTE ®

August 2016 September 2016

2 Cold plastic road markings based on DEGAROUTE®

 DEGAROUTE® DEGAROUTE®

Thermoplastic Thermoplastic

November 2016 March 2017

Thermoplastic

Thermoplastic

DEGAROUTE®

DEGAROUTE®

December 2017 March 2018

Night time visuals of Osu Asante Blohum Intersection at 28 February Road illustrating why DEGAROUTE® based
cold plastic is supported by the Department of Urban Roads, Ghana Highways Authority and the Road Ministery:
Zebra crossing stripes applied with cold plastic based on DEGAROUTE® are clearly visible to road users during
night time, even at poorly illuminated streets. The picture was taken from the driver's perspective and the zebra
crossing was illuminated under the vehicle's headlights only.

Thermoplastic

DEGAROUTE®

August 2017

3 Cold plastic road markings based on DEGAROUTE®

PROJECT PROFILE | MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA, INDIA

ANTI-BLACKENING ROAD MARKINGS

DUBAI, UAE

DEGAROUTE®
DEGAROUTE®
DEGAROUTE®

Thermoplastic

Thermoplastic Thermoplastic

After 11 hours After 90 days

PROJECT OBJECTIVE
Climate and environment are tough
conditions for road markings in the
Middle East. The sand, oil and hot
temperatures typically cause road
markings to blacken quickly.
The Roads & Transport Authority
(RTA) in Dubai was looking for a
solution to reduce the dirt pick-up
of road markings aiming at providing
clean, visible and safe markings.
Therefore, the autority started a field
test to compare the performance
of anti-blackening cold plastic road
markings with thermoplastic.
The yellow triangles are commonly
applied in Dubai in front of cross-
walks. Cold plastic with anti-dirt
pick-up effect and thermoplastic
were applied at the same time.
Within a short period of time the
thermoplastic turned black and after
a few months cracked and partially
worn, while the cold plastic remained
completely intact and clearly visible.
Therefore, the local autority chose
DEGAROUTE® based cold plastic
MMA markings with anti-blackening
capabilities for the application of
the yellow triangular humps on Cairo
Street.
Anti-blackening technology can also
be used for line markings, zebra
crossings, legends and all other kind
of area markings.

SITE APPLICATION

COUNTRY United Arab Emirates SYSTEM Two layer system with anti-blackening

LOCATION Dubai SURFACE Existing asphalt

ROAD Cairo Street PREPARATION Shot-blasting to clean the surface

APPLICATION DATE April 2014 EQUIPMENT Manually: drawbox and roller

PERFORMANCE

• DEGAROUTE® based markings with anti-blackening remained

more yellow, cleaner and more visible
• Thermoplastic markings picked-up dirt after a few hours

4 Cold plastic road markings based on DEGAROUTE®