Speed Bumps
What Factors Affect a Speed Bump Quote? (2026)
Cojo
May 7, 2026
7 min read
A speed bump quote in 2026 has 11 cost factors moving the final number. Two contractors bidding the same site can land 30 to 60 percent apart, mostly because of how each one handles substrate, anchor hardware, prevailing wage, and traffic control. The FHWA Traffic Calming ePrimer treats per-foot installed pricing as the standard reporting metric — but the line items behind that per-foot number are where bids diverge.
Below: the 11 factors, which ones property managers can negotiate, which ones are non-negotiable, and what a complete quote should include.
Anchor hardware differs by substrate. Concrete substrate uses sleeve anchors with epoxy. Asphalt substrate uses spike anchors with hot-pour epoxy. Concrete drilling labor runs roughly 20 to 30 percent slower than asphalt drilling because concrete is harder. Quote impact: $20 to $80 per bump higher on concrete than on asphalt.
Light-duty installs use 4 anchor points per 10-foot bump. Heavy-duty installs use 6 to 8 anchor points. The difference is hardware cost (multiplied by anchor count) plus the additional drilling time. Quote impact: $30 to $120 per bump.
Section length drives material cost most directly. A 4-foot bump costs roughly half what a 10-foot bump costs across all materials. The Institute of Transportation Engineers Traffic Calming Manual recommends covering the full lane width to prevent steering-around behavior (ITE Traffic Calming Manual, ite.org), so length is set by lane geometry, not budget. Quote impact: scales with linear feet of bump on the site.
Industry baseline range: $40 to $200 for plastic, $80 to $400 for rubber, $300 to $1,500 for asphalt installed, $400 to $2,000 for concrete. The choice cascades into install method and lifespan. Quote impact: the largest single driver in most bids.
Mobilization covers the cost of getting crew, tools, and material to the site. A single-bump install carries a $150 to $400 mobilization fee. A 6-bump multi-site portfolio amortizes mobilization across all bumps. Quote impact: $150 to $800+ flat per project.
Sites with active drive-aisle traffic during install hours need traffic-control measures: cones, signs, flaggers, or temporary barriers. Oregon DOT and most city public-works departments specify traffic-control plans for any work that closes a drive lane (Oregon Standard Specifications for Construction, oregon.gov/odot). Quote impact: $400 to $1,200+ per day.
Federal Highway Administration and Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices guidance recommend yellow-and-black chevron pattern marking on speed bumps for visibility (MUTCD, mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov). Paint application runs roughly 30 to 60 minutes per bump plus material. Quote impact: $60 to $200 per bump.
Reflective tape, end caps, and post-mounted advance warning signs improve nighttime visibility. Required by some Oregon city codes; optional but recommended elsewhere. Quote impact: $30 to $300 per bump depending on package.
Oregon prevailing-wage rules apply to many public-works and certain commercial projects (Oregon BOLI prevailing-wage rates, oregon.gov/boli). Prevailing-wage installs pay union-scale rates for striping crew, paving crew, and traffic control. Quote impact: 25 to 60 percent higher labor on prevailing-wage projects vs private commercial.
Some Oregon jurisdictions require a pavement-marking permit, traffic-calming-program approval, or right-of-way permit for speed-bump installs. Permits cost $100 to $400 and add 1 to 4 weeks to the schedule. Quote impact: $100 to $400 plus schedule.
Speed-bump materials sold in Oregon are not subject to state sales tax (Oregon Department of Revenue, oregon.gov/dor). Disposal fees apply when the install removes existing bumps or asphalt — disposal trips run $75 to $300 per load. Quote impact: $0 to $300+.
Worked example for a 6-bump install on a Salem retail center with concrete drive aisles, prevailing-wage rules in effect:
| Line Item | Industry Baseline |
|---|---|
| 6 x 10-foot rubber bumps | $1,500 to $2,400 |
| 36 anchor points (6 per bump) with hardware | $360 to $900 |
| Concrete drilling and bolt-down labor (8 to 12 crew-hours) | $720 to $1,500 |
| Chevron paint on 6 bumps | $360 to $1,200 |
| Reflective end caps + 6 advance warning signs | $1,200 to $2,400 |
| Mobilization (multi-bump commercial) | $400 to $800 |
| Traffic control (1 day) | $600 to $1,200 |
| Prevailing-wage uplift (estimated 35 percent on labor) | $530 to $1,400 |
| Permit (pavement marking) | $150 to $300 |
For deeper line-item pricing on the rubber side, our rubber speed bump cost breakdown covers material costs in full. The speed bump installation cost guide handles labor.
Negotiable on most quotes:
Not negotiable on most quotes:
Every line item from the 11 factors above. A quote that bundles "speed bumps installed" into one number without breaking out hardware, paint, mobilization, and traffic control is a black-box quote that hides risk. Cojo quotes itemize every line so property managers can compare bids on the same basis.
On a 14,000-square-foot Salem retail center we restriped in March 2026, the property received three competitor bids before ours. The cheapest bid was $4,800 for "4 speed bumps installed." It excluded chevron paint, reflective caps, and the advance-warning signs the city required. The actual scope ran $7,200 — 50 percent above the headline. Itemized quotes prevent that gap.
For property managers comparing bids in Salem, our Speed Bump Installation in Salem Oregon commercial guide covers Salem PW Chapter 79 references and what local code requires in a complete bid. For broader marking-and-paint pricing context, commercial striping Portland covers paint-side numbers.
Black-box pricing hides the gap between what was quoted and what actually gets installed. Get a custom quote and Cojo will itemize every line — material, anchor, paint, reflectors, mobilization, traffic control, prevailing wage, permit, tax — so you can compare bids on the same basis.
A practical guide to sealcoating apartment and condo parking lots. Covers phased scheduling, tenant communication, cost allocation, liability, and ROI for property value.
Get accurate 2026 asphalt paving costs for Oregon driveways, parking lots, and roads. Per-square-foot pricing, cost factors, and money-saving tips.
Compare asphalt and concrete driveways side by side: cost, durability, maintenance, appearance, and climate performance for Oregon homes.
Have a question about this topic? We'll respond within 24 hours.