Work Zone and Temporary Traffic Control Signs: Orange Signs, Flaggers, and Detours
Work-zone signs are temporary traffic control devices. They are almost always orange with black legends, and they warn of construction, maintenance, utility work, or an incident. The Connecticut exam tests orange-sign recognition, flagger authority, detour signing, and the special penalties that apply in work zones.
Core rules
- Orange diamond signs warn of work ahead, lane closures, shoulder work, or a changed traffic pattern. Orange rectangular signs may give directions such as detour or lane shift.
- A flagger controls traffic with a STOP/SLOW paddle, a flag, or hand signals. You must obey the flagger even if a signal or sign seems to give you the right of way. A flagger's STOP means stop and wait.
- A pilot car may lead traffic through a one-lane work zone. Follow it at a safe distance and do not pass it.
- Detour signs route traffic around a closure. Follow the orange detour markers rather than your usual route; the detour may use roads that are not your normal path.
- Speed limits may be reduced in a work zone. Connecticut law provides enhanced penalties for speeding and certain moving violations in work zones, particularly when workers are present.
Worked example
You approach a work zone with a flagger holding a STOP paddle. The opposing lane is empty for the moment, and the normal traffic signal ahead is green. You may not proceed. The flagger has been placed there to control the conflict, and the paddle means stop until the flagger turns it to SLOW or waves you through. Proceeding because the signal is green defeats the temporary control and can cause a head-on crash in a one-lane zone.
Traps
Do not assume the normal speed limit still applies inside a work zone. Do not pass a pilot car or follow it too closely. Do not treat an orange detour sign as a suggestion; missing it can put you in a closed lane. Do not ignore a flagger because you see no workers at that instant. Do not confuse orange work-zone warning signs with yellow permanent warning signs.