Roadwork ahead sign
Work is going on in the road ahead, so slow down and watch for changed conditions.
- Group
- Roadwork signs
- The group at a distance
- Diamond or rectangular plate. Orange ground, black legend or symbol.
- Does this group carry the law
- Enforceable, and it overrides the permanent signs underneath it.
- In the sign deck
- 3 questions ask about this sign
What to do when you see it
In the order you do it, from the moment the sign comes into view.
- Slow down as soon as you see the sign, not once you can see the work.
- Expect a changed layout: shifted lanes, temporary line marking, gravel and unsealed edges.
- Follow the temporary signs and any traffic controller, which take priority over the permanent signs and the paint.
- Leave a bigger gap, since traffic through a work zone stops without warning.
Where you see it
On the approach to any work zone, from a few hundred metres out on urban roads and much further out on highways.
Across the states and territories
Orange signs for temporary conditions are used nationally. Penalties for speeding in a work zone, and whether they increase when workers are present, are set by each state and territory, so the fine differs even where the sign does not.
Tell it apart from these
Both signs at the same size, next to each other, with the one line that separates them. These are the pairs people mix up under time pressure.
- Roadwork aheadthis pageWorkers ahead
Roadwork ahead is about the site. Workers ahead is about people standing in it, which is why the speed matters more.
Workers ahead: People are working on or beside the road ahead, so slow down and give them room.
- Roadwork aheadthis pageDetour
Roadwork means the road is open in a changed form. A detour means it is closed.
Detour: The road ahead is closed, so follow the arrows on these signs along the marked alternative route.
How the knowledge tests use it
Questions test that temporary signs override permanent ones, including line marking and posted limits.
A real question from the sign deckWhat does this sign mean?
Orange signs mark temporary conditions. From here on you can expect changed lanes, uneven surfaces, loose stones, plant crossing the road and workers on foot.
State and territory driver handbooks, roadworks
Try it in a question
The sign tests draw the artwork above the question and ask what it means, which is closer to the way you meet a sign on the road than reading a page about it. They are original questions written for this site rather than an agency's published bank.
More roadwork signs
Orange plate with a black legend or symbol.