Construction and Work Zone Signs
What construction signs do
Construction and work-zone signs are orange with black legends. They are temporary traffic control devices, so they may appear where no permanent sign exists and may conflict with what you remember about the road. Orange means construction or maintenance activity.
Core rules
- Warning and direction: Orange diamonds warn of road work, lane shifts, and crews. Orange rectangles give directions such as “DETOUR” with an arrow. Barricades and channelizing devices show the temporary path.
- Flaggers: A flagger uses a STOP/SLOW paddle and has the same authority as a signal. Obey the paddle even if the permanent light is green. A “FLAGGER AHEAD” sign warns you to be ready to stop.
- Detours: Follow detour arrows rather than your GPS; the temporary route is marked for current conditions.
- Speed and penalties: Work-zone speed limits begin at the posted sign and may be lower than the normal limit. Penalties for moving violations can be higher when workers are present.
- End of work: “END ROAD WORK” marks the return to normal rules, but do not accelerate until you pass the sign and any workers.
Worked example
You see “ROAD WORK AHEAD,” then “FLAGGER AHEAD,” then a flagger holding a SLOW paddle. You slow immediately, cover the brake, and prepare to stop. The flagger’s paddle controls your lane even if the permanent signal is green. Reasoning: temporary traffic control overrides permanent signals when a flagger is directing traffic.
Traps
Treating orange signs as permanent warnings; passing a flagger; following a detour arrow in the wrong direction; speeding up at “END ROAD WORK” before clearing the zone; and assuming the normal speed limit applies inside the work zone.