The Botts Dot’s Future May Hit a Bump in the Road

For 35 years, Botts dots have been a permanent part of the California landscape--a simple little freeway protrusion that has been credited for keeping millions of motorists on the straight and narrow.

The raised markers that divide freeway lanes throughout California and other states are so popular that they have been the subject of urban legend and the topic of a question on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

But the future of the ubiquitous Botts dot is in question, particularly in Southern California, where heavy truck traffic is increasingly turning the ceramic road markers into roadway rubble.

“We have a durability problem,” said Larry Ornay, the regional manager for special crews at the Los Angeles office of the California Department of Transportation.

It seems the little dot is cracking and crumbling under the weight of big, fast-moving trucks. The same is true of the plastic yellow and white reflective markers, which are considered the higher-tech descendants of the Botts dot.

The life expectancy of the dots and plastic markers has been dropping steadily, from nearly 10 years to about two. And the future does not look rosy: Truck traffic is expected to double by 2020 because of increased cargo coming from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

But that does not mean that Caltrans plans to rip out the more than 25 million dots that line the state’s freeways. That would be too expensive and time-consuming. Instead, Caltrans is testing new, cheaper and longer-lasting alternatives that could eventually replace the dot.

“If there is a better mousetrap out there, let’s use it,” said Frank Quon, Caltrans deputy district director of operations for Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Named for Elbert D. Botts, a senior state chemical testing engineer, the round mounds became a required fixture on most of the state’s freeways in 1966, by direction of the Legislature. The dots have since been adopted by several other states.

Under the guidance of Botts, Caltrans scientists created the ceramic dot in the 1950s to increase the visibility of lane-divider lines, particularly at night and in the rain. But once the dots were tested, Caltrans officials discovered an unintended benefit: When inattentive or tired motorists drove over the dots, a rumbling sound warned them that they were straying into the next lane.

The dots come in white, yellow and black--the latter is only used on certain light-colored concrete roads. Highly reflective pavement markers come in several other colors, including blue, which marks the location of fire hydrants on city streets. Other markers appear white for those driving in the correct direction, but appear red to wrong-way drivers.

Over the years, the Botts dot has become embedded in California culture and myth. The San Fernando Valley Folklore Society recently shot down the rumor that Elbert Botts became rich from his invention.

Sadly, Botts died in 1961, before the dots became a roadway mainstay. A one-paragraph obituary in the Materials and Research Department newsletter Random Samples did not even mention his pioneering work in dots.

If only Botts were alive today, he could have heard Regis Philbin, host of ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” recently ask a contestant: “Where are Botts dots used as a safety device?”

Of course, the contestant didn’t know that the answer was “freeways” and decided not to risk losing the $16,000 she had already won. She passed on the question.

Botts dots have also created a surprising cult following among motorists. A few years ago, a freelance magazine writer published a feature story that sparked a rumor of the dots’ imminent demise. Caltrans was flooded with e-mails and letters of protest.

But despite their popularity with some drivers, the dots have practical drawbacks. In areas of heavy snowfall, they are routinely scraped off by snowplows.

The biggest disadvantage is the cost and time needed to reroute freeway traffic and then deploy Caltrans crews to replace the dots. The work is extremely painstaking. Two workers ride in a slow-moving truck--one shooting gobs of adhesive onto the pavement and the second slapping dots on top.

In Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Caltrans has assigned two crews the sole responsibility of replacing missing dots and reflective markers. The dots and markers cost about 50 cents apiece to make but Caltrans spends up to $10 each to install them.

In hopes of increasing the durability of the dot, Caltrans workers in Los Angeles two years ago began to spray the reflective lane stripes over the top of dots. It is too early to say whether this experiment will help the dots hold their ground.

The cost of replacing missing dots even prompted Caltrans in 1997 to give local freeway crews the option, under certain conditions, of installing pavement stripes without Botts dots.

Some have even begun to question the basic safety advantages that gave birth to the dots.

In Sacramento, Caltrans removed the Botts dots on three freeway segments and found no increase in lane-change-related accidents.

At the Caltrans testing laboratory, the most promising alternative to the dots seems to be a thick, highly reflective paint that contains bits of recycled glass, said Terry Germany, information officer for the research lab.

The paint, which is so thick it resembles toothpaste, can be applied on the pavement by machine, eliminating the need to put work crews in the path of fast-moving traffic during installation.

To replicate the dots’ rumble-strip effect, Germany said an extra-thick glob of the paint can be dropped every few feet, creating a mound of the substance.

But Germany said it could be years before the durability tests on the goopy reflective paint are completed. If the tests are positive, the Botts dot could eventually be useful as a paperweight.

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Botts Dots Facts

Weight: 8.6 ounces

Height: 1/4 inch

Diameter: 4 inches

Material: ceramic

Cost to make: about 50 cents

Cost to install: $10 each

More than 25 million installed on freeways statewide.

More than 3.2 million installed in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. About 900,000 dots in Orange County.

Source: Caltrans