635Cleaning and Preparation of Pavement Surfaces for

635-1 DESCRIPTION. This work shall consist of cleaning and preparing portland cement and

bituminous pavement surfaces for the application of reflectorized pavement marking materials. Examples of pavement markings requiring this item include, but are not limited to, reflectorized thermoplastic, preformed, and epoxy type marking materials.

635-2 MATERIALS. Materials and equipment for cleaning and preparing pavement surfaces may be

selected by the Contractor, except that they will be approved by the Engineer and shall conform to all applicable Local, State or Federal law, regulation or codes.

635-3 Construction Details

635-3.01 General. The work required to clean and prepare pavement surfaces shall be performed in

accordance with these specifications, the contract documents and to the satisfaction of the Engineer.

635-3 02

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Section 600 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 VOLUME 3 Before any work is begun, a schedule of operations shall be submitted for the approval of the Engineer. When the work is conducted under traffic, the Contractor shall supply all necessary flags, markers, signs, and other devices to maintain and protect traffic. Whenever grinding, waterblasting, dry sandblasting or other operations are performed, the work shall be conducted in such a manner that the finished pavement surface is not damaged or left in a pattern that will mislead or misdirect the motorist. When these operations are completed the pavement surface shall first be power broomed and then blown off with compressed air to remove residue and debris resulting from the cleaning work. All such debris that remains on the roadway, including broken parts from cleaning equipment, shall be removed and disposed of in a manner satisfactory to the Engineer. The Contractor shall conduct removal and cleaning work in such a manner as to minimize airborne dust, and similar debris so as to prevent a hazard to motor vehicle operation or nuisance to property. Care shall be taken on bituminous and portland cement concrete surfaces when performing removal and cleaning work to prevent damage to transverse and longitudinal joint sealers. Unless otherwise specified in the contract documents the area(s) and quantity of cleaning work will be determined by the Engineer at the job site when the contract is in progress. In addition the Engineer will have the authority of increasing the work area as the project continues.

635-3.02 Limits of Work. Cleaning and surface preparation work shall be confined to the surface area

specified for the application of pavement marking materials; or the surface area of existing pavement markings that are specified for removal on the plans, or as directed by the Engineer. Surface preparation work includes cleaning for lines or cleaning for letters and symbols. Lines will be meant to include: broken line; dotted line; channelizing line; barrier lines; stop lines; crosswalk line and crossbars. When lines are cleaned, the area of preparation will be the width of the new pavement marking, or existing line, plus 1 inch on each side. When letters and symbols are cleaned the area of preparation will be sufficiently large to accommodate the new marking, or to remove the existing marking.

635-3.03 Cleaning Concrete Curing Compounds. On new portland cement concrete pavements,

cleaning operations shall not begin until a minimum of 30 days after the placement of concrete. All new concrete pavements shall be cleaned by either sandblasting or water blasting. When water blasting is performed, pavement markings shall be applied no sooner than 24 hours after the blasting has been completed. The extent of the blasting work shall be to clean and prepare the concrete surface such that:

635-3.04 Cleaning Existing Pavement Markings. Existing pavement markings shall be cleaned for the

purpose of:

635-3 05

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Section 600 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 VOLUME 3 It shall be understood that in this context cleaning means the removal of an existing marking. It is not intended that all deteriorated existing pavement markings be removed. Example: If a new marking is applied to an unmarked “gap” in a broken line and the existing broken line pattern is worn or deteriorated, as determined by the Engineer, to the extent that it is not misleading or confusing to the motorist, the existing markings do not require removal. Pavement markings shall be cleaned to the extent that 95% to 100% of the existing marking is removed. Removal operations shall be conducted in such a manner that no more than moderate color and/or surface texture change results on the surrounding pavement surface. When waterblasting is performed, pavement markings shall be applied no sooner than 24 hours after the blasting has been completed. Waterblasting shall not be allowed for cleaning markings requiring replacement within the same day as removal as specified under §635-3.05. The determination of acceptable removal will be made by judgement of the Engineer and will be guided by the Department's pictorial standards of acceptable marking removal. Pictorial standards are available from the Materials Bureau.

635-3.05 Replacement of Pavement Markings. The Contractor shall not remove existing pavement

markings and leave the highway unmarked overnight.

635-4 METHOD OF MEASUREMENT. Surface cleaning and preparation of pavement surfaces for

lines will be measured in feet along the centerline of the prepared surface and will be based on a nominal 4 inches wide line. Measurement for cleaning surfaces for line widths greater than the nominal 4 inches will be made by the following method: Nominal Existing Width of Line (inches) x Length (feet) 4 (inches) No payment will be made for the additional 1 inch of cleaning on each side of the line required by §635-3.02. No payment will be made for cleaning the number of feet of unmarked gaps between broken or dotted line segments. Cleaning and preparation of letters and symbols on pavement surfaces will be measured by each unit cleaned. A unit will consist of one letter or one symbol. Example: “STOP” would be measured as four units. The Engineer will adjust the quantities of these items as required to meet field conditions. This may result in substantial increases or decreases of the proposal quantities.

635-5 BASIS OF PAYMENT. The accepted quantities of cleaned pavement surface will be paid for at

the contract unit price, which shall include the cost of furnishing all labor, materials and equipment to satisfactorily complete the work. The cost of maintaining and protecting traffic during the cleaning work will be included in the price bid. No payment will be made under this item for the removal of pavement markings required under §635-3.05. Payment will be made under: Item No. Item Pay Unit 635.0103 Cleaning and Preparation of Pavement Surfaces-Lines Feet 635.0203 Cleaning and Preparation of Pavement Surfaces-Letters Each 635.0303 Cleaning and Preparation of Pavement Surfaces-Symbols Each

636-1 01

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Section 600 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 VOLUME 3