TxDOT Item 672 Raised Pavement Markers: Bid Code Spec, Pricing and Performance Requirements

Item 672 covers furnishing and installing raised pavement markers, and it also covers removing the old ones. That's the answer to a question Item 677 leaves open: Item 677 doesn't pay for RPM removal, but Item 672 does. The spec says RPM removal follows Item 677's process "except for measurement and payment," and the payment clause makes it official: removing existing markers and installing new ones are priced together, as one number. So if you've been treating RPM removal as a cost with no clear home, it isn't missing, it's already built into this item's price. This covers the 6 bid codes that show up most often across recent TxDOT lettings, what separates one marker type from another, and what the 30-day performance obligation actually does and doesn't put on you.

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TxDOT Item 672 Bid Code Variants: What Determines Pricing

• Marker type. I-C, II-A-A, and II-C-R are the three types in this data, all Reflectorized Pavement Markers. I-C retroreflects white light on a single approach face. II-A-A retroreflects amber on both approach and trailing faces. II-C-R retroreflects white on approach and red on trailing, the only one of the three requiring two different colors from a single unit. Six more named types exist in the broader spec, Traffic Buttons and Plowable markers among them, not represented in this specific dataset.
• Which code series, and the gap isn't uniform even within this one item. 672-6007 and 672-7002 are both "REFL PAV MRKR TY I-C," priced 50 percent apart. 672-6009 and 672-7004, both "TY II-A-A," price identically. 672-6010 and 672-7006, both "TY II-C-R," sit 20 percent apart. Same item, three different relationships between the two series. Confirm which one applies to your specific code rather than assuming a flat premium carries across all three types.

TxDOT Item 672 Pricing: Key Takeaways

• RPM removal is bundled into this item's price, not a separate cost or a gap. Item 677 explicitly excludes it. Item 672's own payment clause explicitly includes it, "removing existing markers" alongside furnishing and installing new ones.
• The 30-day performance obligation has a real exclusion, not just a requirement. Failures caused by extreme wear, snow or ice removal, or pavement failure can be excluded from your replacement obligation, at the Engineer's determination.
• No additional payment for performance-period replacements that aren't excluded. If a marker fails from defective material or bad installation within 30 days, replacing it is on you, free.
• Adhesive choice is temperature-gated, not a preference. Bituminous needs 40°F or higher. Epoxy needs 50°F or higher, and it's required, not optional, for plowable markers.
• This is a plans quantity item, same measurement basis as Items 666 and 677.

Cost Factors for TxDOT Item 672 Raised Pavement Markers

Cost Factors That Vary by Bid Code

• Marker type and face count. Single-face types like I-C need one retroreflective element. Dual-face types like II-A-A and II-C-R need two, and II-C-R specifically needs two different colors on those two faces, white approach, red trailing, a more complex manufacturing spec than a single-color dual-face marker.
• Adhesive system. Bituminous adhesive works on bituminous pavements. Epoxy adhesive works on hydraulic cement concrete, and is required, not optional, for plowable markers regardless of surface. Different adhesive, different application temperature floor, different cost.
• Whether the surface needs preparation first. Bond surfaces have to be free of dirt, curing compound, grease, oil, moisture, and loose or unsound existing markings before adhesive goes down. A surface that needs real prep work costs more to install on than one that doesn't, independent of which marker type is going down.
• Manufacturer consistency within a class. The spec requires furnishing RPMs for each class from the same manufacturer. That's a sourcing constraint worth pricing into a job with mixed marker classes, not a free assumption that any approved source works interchangeably.

Cost Factors That Apply to Every TxDOT Item 672 Bid Code

• 100% bonding contact is the installation standard, not a target.

  "Ensure that 100% of the bonding area of RPMs is in contact with the adhesive, and ensure that RPMs, except for plowable markers, are seated on a continuous layer of adhesive and not in contact with the pavement surface."

  That's a checkable, binary standard, not a "mostly bonded" tolerance.
• Application temperature is a hard floor, both directions. Bituminous adhesive applies only when pavement and RPM temperature are 40°F or higher, and never heated above 400°F. Epoxy applies only when pavement temperature is 50°F or higher. Both need continuous or machine mixing before application.
• Guide marks for placement can't be permanent.

  "Establish pavement marking guides to mark the lateral location of RPMs as shown on the plans and as directed. Do not make permanent marks on the roadway for the guides."

• Misaligned markers get removed and replaced at your expense.

  "If necessary, remove and replace RPMs placed out of alignment or sequence... at the Contractor's expense in accordance with Item 677 (except for measurement and payment)."

  Same Item 677 removal process referenced again, same "except measurement and payment" carve-out, meaning the correction cost lives here too.

TxDOT Item 672 Payment Terms: Subsidiary Work vs. Separately Paid Items

"This price is full compensation for removing existing markers; furnishing and installing RPMs; and materials, equipment, labor, tools, and incidentals."

"No additional payment will be made for replacement of RPMs failing to meet the performance requirements."

TxDOT Item 672 Performance Requirements: The 30-Day Obligation and Its Exclusions

"All RPMs must meet performance requirements for at least 30 calendar days after installation."

"Replace all missing or non-reflective RPMs identified during the performance period within 30 days after notification. The end of the performance period does not relieve the Contractor from the performance deficiencies requiring corrective action identified during the performance period."

"The Engineer may exclude RPMs from the replacement provisions of the performance, provided the Engineer determines the failure is a result of causes other than defective material or inadequate installation procedures. Examples of outside causes are extreme wear at intersections, damage by snow or ice removal, and pavement failure."

"Upon request, the Engineer will allow a Contractor representative to accompany the Engineer on these evaluations."

Pricing Considerations for Performance Requirements

• Carry a replacement contingency sized to genuine installation risk, not total marker count. The exclusion provision means well-installed markers lost to intersection wear or snowplow damage aren't automatically on you, so a blanket "replace X percent" assumption overstates real exposure.
• Request the field evaluation walk-through when a failure determination is being made. It's a spec'd right, not a courtesy, and it directly affects whether a given failure lands on you or gets excluded.
• Price 100% bonding contact and correct application temperature as defect prevention, not overhead. Both are explicit standards an inspector can check directly, and failures traced to either fall outside the exclusion, defective installation is exactly what stays your responsibility.

Pricing Analysis: Key Cost Comparisons Across TxDOT Item 672

Executing TxDOT Item 672: Avoiding Rework and Ensuring Payment

Rework Triggers Under TxDOT Item 672

• Less than 100% bonding area contact with adhesive, or a marker seated against the pavement surface instead of a continuous adhesive layer
• Bituminous adhesive applied below 40°F, or heated above 400°F
• Epoxy adhesive applied below 50°F, or on plowable markers where epoxy wasn't used at all
• Markers placed out of alignment or sequence relative to the established guides
• Missing, broken, or non-reflective markers identified during the 30-day performance period and not excluded for outside causes

Field Compliance Requirements for TxDOT Item 672

• Bond surfaces confirmed free of dirt, curing compound, grease, oil, moisture, and loose or unsound existing markings before adhesive application
• Guides marked for lateral placement without leaving permanent marks on the roadway
• Bituminous adhesive machine-agitated continuously before application for even heat distribution
• Epoxy adhesive machine-mixed before application
• RPMs placed immediately after adhesive application to ensure proper bonding

Pay Application Requirements for TxDOT Item 672

• Document removal and installation as one action per marker, since the payment clause bundles both into a single unit price, not two separate line items
• Request the evaluation walk-through in writing when a performance failure is identified, since that's how the exclusion provision actually gets exercised in practice
• Track manufacturer consistency per class, since the spec requires same-manufacturer sourcing within each RPM class on a project
• Keep the 30-day notification-to-replacement window documented, since that timeline applies regardless of when in the performance period the deficiency was identified

Frequently asked questions about TxDOT Item 672

Every code above ties back to real TxDOT pricing history. Price the one you're bidding, or see how the rest of Item 672 breaks down.