MOT Temporary Traffic Control Plans 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A field inspector notices that deployed TTC devices have been knocked over and not replaced during active work. What is the correct action?
- Document the deficiency and report it at the next weekly meeting
- Immediately notify the contractor to restore devices and halt work if safety is compromised (Correct answer)
- Allow work to continue since devices are only a recommendation
- Replace the devices personally without notifying the contractor
Correct answer: Immediately notify the contractor to restore devices and halt work if safety is compromised
The contractor must immediately restore missing TTC devices; inspectors have authority to halt work when worker or public safety is at risk.
Question 2: In a TTC plan, 'shadow vehicles' equipped with truck-mounted attenuators (TMAs) are positioned primarily to protect against which hazard?
- Workers from equipment exhaust fumes
- Errant vehicles intruding into the work zone and striking workers (Correct answer)
- Overloaded trucks damaging the road surface
- Unauthorized vehicles entering through the termination end
Correct answer: Errant vehicles intruding into the work zone and striking workers
TMAs on shadow vehicles absorb impact energy from errant vehicles, protecting workers in the activity area from being struck.
Question 3: A TTC plan calls for closing an exit ramp to highway traffic. Which signing is MOST critical to install well in advance of the closure point?
- EXIT CLOSED sign only at the ramp entrance
- Advance notification of next available exit with appropriate distance signs (Correct answer)
- A portable changeable message sign at the work area only
- Detour signs starting at the ramp exit point
Correct answer: Advance notification of next available exit with appropriate distance signs
Drivers must be advised of the closed exit and directed to the next available exit far enough in advance to safely change their route.
Question 4: According to the MUTCD, which color are temporary traffic control signs (other than those with regulatory messages) required to be?
- White background with black legend
- Yellow background with black legend
- Orange background with black legend (Correct answer)
- Red background with white legend
Correct answer: Orange background with black legend
Temporary work zone warning signs use an orange background with black legend to distinguish them as work zone conditions.
Question 5: A TTC plan specifies the use of Type III barricades. In which part of the work zone are Type III barricades most commonly deployed?
- As advance warning devices 500 feet before the closure
- At the beginning of lane closures, road closures, and at detour turnoffs (Correct answer)
- Inside the buffer space between the taper and work area
- Along the entire length of the work zone at 40-foot intervals
Correct answer: At the beginning of lane closures, road closures, and at detour turnoffs
Type III barricades are used at the start of road or lane closures and at detour points to mark the closure and guide traffic.
Question 6: When reviewing a TTC plan submission, a project engineer finds the plan lacks a signing schedule. Why is a signing schedule important?
- It lists the contractor's workers assigned to set out signs
- It documents sign locations, messages, sizes, and mounting heights to ensure proper installation (Correct answer)
- It provides the cost estimate for all traffic control signs
- It specifies the OSHA safety training hours required for sign installation crews
Correct answer: It documents sign locations, messages, sizes, and mounting heights to ensure proper installation
A signing schedule ensures every required sign is correctly placed, sized, and mounted so the TTC plan is implemented as designed.
Question 7: A long-term TTC plan is in place for a 6-month bridge rehabilitation. How often should the TTC setup be formally inspected per best practice guidelines?
- Once at the beginning of the project only
- Only after any reported incident or complaint
- Regularly, typically daily or at each shift change (Correct answer)
- Monthly, coinciding with contractor pay estimates
Correct answer: Regularly, typically daily or at each shift change
Work zone TTC setups should be inspected regularly — typically daily or at each shift change — to ensure devices are in place and functioning properly.
MOT Temporary Traffic Control Plans 5
A field inspector notices that deployed TTC devices have been knocked over and not replaced during active work.
What is the correct action?