Drivers may understand flashing arrows, but the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) uses other signals to ensure safety in construction zones.
INDIA — With highway construction season in full swing, traffic signs are being installed in construction zones across the state to help keep you safe on the road this summer. Many projects require lane closures or restricted access. The Indiana Department of Transportation is using orange barrels, cones, road blocks and arrow signs to direct traffic.
Everyone has seen arrow signs on highways, in construction zones, or at major events; but have you ever come across a design or pattern of arrows that you had no idea what they meant? Typically, the layout of arrows on a map looks like this:
Drivers know what the signs mean: turn left or right, move left or move right. The Indiana Department of Transportation uses these arrow signs primarily to inform drivers that a lane is closed and that they need to move in the direction of the arrow. Of course, not all Arrow cards have all of these features. The Indiana Department of Transportation uses arrow signs to inform drivers and keep them safe when driving through construction zones.
Some settings on an arrow board are not as obvious as the arrows themselves. Have you ever seen a pattern that made you say, “Huh?” There may be something wrong with the arrow board. Here are some of the modes that INDOT can implement using arrow boards:
These patterns are used as warnings. The first two patterns, the four-dot flashing warning signals, are the most commonly used and the only warning patterns required by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) uses these patterns when construction crews are working on or near the side of the road. The other two patterns, the alternating diamond patterns, are optional warning patterns offered by some manufacturers. The warning pattern can be used to indicate work zones, hazardous road sections, or accidents ahead. INDOT does not currently use the alternating diamond pattern, but other states still do.
Arrow signs are temporary traffic control devices used to regulate traffic, provide advance warning of lane closures, and/or direct vehicles through construction zones or congested areas. Although they are primarily used for navigational warnings or directions, they can also be used in alert display modes.
Post time: May-08-2025