Driving In Construction Zone

Road works are carried out for constructing new roads and repairing/extending existing roads. The area under the influence of such road works is called Construction Zone. According to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), in the year 2015, there have been more than 10,000 accidents in road construction zones all over India. This scenario indicates how essential it is for you to follow the safety guidelines while driving through a construction zone.

Overview of Construction Zones

In the first place, it is important for you to understand construction zone and its various sub-zones. These zones are briefly discussed in the following subsections.

Advance Warning Zone

In this zone, you are warned about upcoming hazard using blinkers and road signs (Slow Down, Narrow Road Ahead, Men at work, etc.). These signs would pre-warn you for change in driving speed, directions, etc. Also, the mandatory posted speed limit sign will notify the safe speed for that location. In the absence of any speed limit sign, you should drive at a speed less than 30 kmph.

Approach Transition Zone

This is the area just before the actual activity location. Delineators and diversion signs, as shown below, are provided to assist you to deviate from the normal path.

Activity Zone

The actual construction/repair work takes place in this zone. While passing through this zone, you need to be extra cautious and limit your speed within 20 kmph in the absence of any posted speed limit.

Terminal Transition Zone

In this zone, traffic is gradually redirected back to the normal path. You can gradually increase the speed up to the posted speed limit or 30 kmph.

Work Zone End Zone

This zone starts at the end of the terminal transition zone and ends at the point where sign board indicates ‘End of Work Zone’ or indicates the initial speed limit posted for the road before entering Work Zone.