This 1 PDH course provides licensed Professional Engineers with a practical overview of Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) planning, design, and field application under the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Part 6 (11th Edition). Participants will identify the federal basis for TTC requirements and distinguish the engineer’s design responsibilities from the contractor’s field implementation duties. The course covers the four components of a traffic control zone, including work space, traffic space, and buffer space; selection of taper type and calculation of minimum taper length. It outlines when a MUTCD Typical Application may be used versus when a site-specific engineered plan is required. Participants will select work-zone devices - temporary signs, channelizing devices, arrow panels, portable changeable message signs, temporary signals, and flagging - based on speed, duration, geometry, and urban versus rural conditions, including advance-warning spacing, access density, pedestrians, and sight distance. Emphasis is placed on MUTCD SHALL versus SHOULD requirements, engineering judgment, and inspection against common field failure modes.

After completing the course, participants will be able to:

1.      Identify the federal regulatory basis for temporary traffic control on public roadways (MUTCD Part 6) and distinguish the engineer’s design responsibilities from the contractor’s field implementation responsibilities.

2.      Identify the four sequential components of a traffic control zone and distinguish work space, traffic space, and buffer space within the activity area.

3.      Select the appropriate taper type and calculate minimum taper length for a given speed and offset.

4.      Distinguish when a MUTCD Typical Application is appropriate versus when a site-specific engineered plan is required, including when a typical application must be modified.

5.      Select temporary traffic control devices - including channelizing devices, temporary signs, arrow panels, portable changeable message signs, temporary signals, and flagging - based on speed, duration, geometry, and road context, and apply MUTCD dimensional requirements.

6.      Distinguish urban versus rural setup requirements, including advance warning sign spacing and the effects of access density, pedestrians, and sight distance, and evaluate a work zone against common field failure modes to identify inspector corrective actions.