A Guide to Traffic Control Zones

With nearly 4 million miles of roadways in America, proper maintenance and upkeep is an important task to local, state, and federal governments. With billions being spent each year to build and maintain these roadways, a pivotal task is providing safe working space for road workers while allowing pedestrians to safely navigate around the construction. In this blog, we will explore Traffic Control Plans and specifically review the areas that are found within traffic control zones.

What is a Traffic Control Plan?
A Traffic Control Plan or Temporary Traffic Control Plan is a plan that describes the safety measures used to guide pedestrians through a traffic control zone. These plans, typically diagrams or sketches, will describe all safety measures that will be used to warn pedestrians of incoming roadwork, guide them through the work zone, and eventually notify them of where the work zone ends. 

Traffic Control Zones
There are four main areas to a traffic control zone with each providing specific elements that keep both workers and pedestrians safe. Let’s review each area and what they provide to complete the control zone:

Advance Warning Area – section of the roadway where pedestrians are informed about the upcoming work zone. Many will utilize bright orange signage or sometimes flashing signals to warn pedestrians to prepare to slow down

Transition Area – if traffic needs to be shifted for the work ahead, a transition area is used to combine traffic lanes or direct traffic to a new path around the work zone. These areas are to be clearly marked, typically with traffic cones or barriers to allow traffic flow to properly and safely pass the work zone

Activity Area – section of the roadway where work is taking place. This area is made up of the work space, traffic space, and buffer space; designated areas for workers and equipment to safely operate separately from the pedestrian traffic. Buffer spaces between the work space and traffic space are free of any people, vehicles, or equipment and typically begin with an arrow board directing traffic away from the work zone

Termination Area – section of the road to safely return pedestrians to the normal path. This area typically extends well past the work zone and is completed by an ‘End Road Work’ sign.

With over 100,000 crashes estimated to happen each year within work zones, proper Traffic Control Plans help facilitate safe passage for both workers and pedestrians. Knowing the control zones and how to navigate through them as a worker and pedestrian will keep everyone safe. To keep the conversation going, download the Work Zone Toolbox Talk (TBT) or comment below.

CAT - Work Zone Traffic TBT