GA SMA TAXIED ONTO RWY INSTEAD OF TURNING DOWN TXWY AS CLEARED. REPORTER CLEARED THE RWY WHEN HE SAW ANOTHER ACFT STARTING TKOF FROM OPPOSITE END OF THE RWY.

Narrative

I WOULD LIKE TO RPT A LACK OF PROPER RWY AND TXWY MARKINGS WHICH LED ME TO ACCIDENTALLY TAXI ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY W/O AUTHORIZATION FROM GND CTL AT RHV. ANOTHER ACFT WAS AT THE OTHER END OF THE RWY ON ITS TKOF ROLL. BECAUSE THE OTHER ACFT WAS AT THE OPP END OF THE ARPT; I COULD NOT TELL THAT BY TURNING LEFT I WOULD BE TAXIING INTO ITS PATH. THE RWY IS WIDE COMPARED TO THE TXWY; AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE; IT APPEARED THAT THE OTHER ACFT WOULD PASS TO MY RIGHT. UPON TURNING ONTO THE RWY AND SEEING THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS IN MY PATH; I TAXIED MY ACFT OUT OF THE WAY (TO THE INTXN BTWN RWYS 13L/31R AND 13R/31L) AND THE OTHER ACFT TOOK OFF AND WAS ABOUT 500' IN THE AIR BY THE TIME IT REACHED MY END OF THE RWY. I AM WRITING THIS RPT IN HOPE THAT IT MAY PREVENT THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ACCIDENT IN THE FUTURE. THE PROB IS AT AND NEAR THE RUN UP AREA FOR RWY 13L/31R. FIRST; THERE IS NO SIGN DESIGNATING THE RWY. SECOND; AND MOST IMPORTANT; THE LEFT HALF OF THE HOLD BAR FOR RWY 13L IS COVERED BY ANOTHER LAYER OF ASPHALT. THE HOLD BAR IS VERY WIDE; AND IF YOU ARE TAXIING TO THE LEFT; PARTICULARLY IN A TAILDRAGGER AS I WAS; THERE IS A LIKELY POSSIBILITY THAT YOU WILL NOT SEE THE RIGHT HALF OF THE HOLD BAR (WHICH IS VERY WORN AND COULD BE ABOUT 10' AWAY) AND THINK THAT YOU ARE TURNING LEFT TO TXWY 2 INSTEAD OF ONTO RWY 13L. THE CONDITION IS COMPLICATED BY THE LOCATION OF THE TXWY SIGNS. THESE ARE LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GRASS AREAS BTWN TXWYS; AND THE PLT MUST DECIDE WHETHER TXWY 2 LIES IN FRONT OF; OR BEYOND THE SIGN. ALTHOUGH TXWYS CUSTOMARILY LIE IN FRONT OF THEIR SIGNS; THE BLANK ASPHALT IN FRONT OF ME LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT; IN THIS CASE; TXWY 2 LIED BEYOND THE SIGN. FINALLY; INTXN DELTA (WHERE I WAS TOLD TO TAXI AND WHICH IS THE 13L/13R RUN UP AREA) IS NOT MARKED WITH A 'D.' I HOPE THAT THE HOLD BAR WILL BE REPAINTED IMMEDIATELY; AND IN ADDITION; THAT RWY SIGNS ARE INSTALLED. I ALSO HOPE THAT THE INTXN IS GIVEN ITS PROPER MARKINGS. I UNDERSTAND THAT TO CONTROL COSTS; PAINTING OF THE HOLD BAR IS BEING DELAYED UNTIL THE ARPT IS RESURFACED IN THE FALL. I FEEL THAT WHILE NEW ASPHALT IS EXPENSIVE; REPAINTING A HOLD BAR IS CHEAP AND MAY SAVE LIVES AND PROPERTY BTWN NOW AND NEXT FALL. USUALLY; THE WINDS FAVOR RWY 31R AS OPPOSED TO RWY 13L. PLTS THUS USUALLY DO NOT ENCOUNTER THIS END OF THE RWY. IN MY CASE; I WAS ASKED TO TURN RIGHT FROM THE RAMP ON WHICH I WAS TAXIING AND PROCEED TO INTXN DELTA (THE RWY 13L RUN UP AREA); AT WHICH TIME I WAS SUPPOSED TO PROCEED TO TXWY 2 AND THEN TURN LEFT AND TAXI ON 2 TO THE RUN UP AREA FOR RWY 31R. THIS WAS A MOST UNUSUAL INSTRUCTION; BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY TO COMPLY WITH IF THE PROPER ARPT MARKINGS WERE PRESENT. I HAVE ENCLOSED A DIAGRAM AND PHOTOGRAPH. AS MENTIONED ABOVE; THE NEW ASPHALT COVERS ABOUT 1/2 THE HOLD BAR. I WAS APCHING AND ON THE MIDDLE OF THE NEW ASPHALT AREA; WHICH IS ABOUT 15 OR 20' WIDE.