What does the construction ahead sign mean?

This sign marks the start of a work area on a road you use every day. What changes for you?

You slow down and follow the cones, signs and workers, even where they contradict the usual layout

A work area moves lanes, narrows shoulders and puts people on foot beside live traffic. The devices and the workers take priority over the markings you remember, because the road you remember is not the road that is there today.

This sign appears and the work area beyond it looks quiet, with no workers anywhere in sight. The posted lower speed carries no wording about workers being present. What applies?

The posted work zone rules apply whether or not anyone is working

A work zone changes from hour to hour, and loose gravel, missing lane markings, uneven surfaces and equipment reversing out are hazards with or without a crew standing there. Follow the posted speed and the lane arrangement through the whole zone.

This sign marks the start of a work area on the highway. What applies inside it?

Any posted lower limit and the directions of the people and devices controlling traffic

A work area changes the road faster than habit or memory can keep up with: lanes shift, surfaces change and people work close to moving traffic. The temporary signs and the person directing traffic describe the road as it is right now, so they take priority over what you remember of it. Drive on what you can see rather than what was there last week.

This sign appears on a highway in summer, where in Quebec you may also see the word TRAVAUX. The crew is visible ahead but your lane is still open. What applies?

The speed posted for the work zone, along with a readiness for lane shifts, workers and machinery on the road

TRAVAUX means road work, and a work zone is unpredictable in a way an open road is not: lane markings move, machinery reverses out without warning, and the surface changes under you. Speeds posted for the work apply whether or not you can see anyone at that moment. The reason to slow down is the person standing a metre from your mirror.

You are driving through a work area marked by this sign late in the evening. No workers are in sight, and the reduced speed sign carries no wording about workers being present. What applies?

The posted work area limit, because the lane shifts and the hazards are still there

The cones, the narrowed lanes and the dropped shoulder do not go home at the end of a shift, and the limit is set for the layout as much as for the people. A speed sign stays in force until another sign replaces it.

You are in a work zone marked by this sign and the lane you are in is closed by cones some distance ahead. What is the right approach?

Move into the open lane early and keep a steady speed

Merging early and smoothly keeps the traffic flowing and avoids the last moment squeeze that causes most of the rear end collisions in work zones. Cones and barrels mark space that workers and equipment move through, so treat the closed lane as though a person were standing in it.