Road closed sign: what it means

ROAD CLOSED sign: a white horizontal rectangle with the words ROAD CLOSED in black
Drawing: Drivoku, based on MUTCD sign R11-2. Simplified; real signs follow the FHWA Standard Highway Signs specifications.

The ROAD CLOSED sign means the road is closed to all traffic except authorized vehicles. Follow the detour.

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What does the ROAD CLOSED sign mean?

MUTCD Section 2B.63 says the ROAD CLOSED (R11-2) sign should be installed where roads have been closed to all traffic except authorized vehicles, and it must be preceded by an advance warning sign. In work zones, Section 6G.04 says it should be placed at or near the center of the road, on or above a barricade.

Quick quiz

What does the sign at the top of this page mean?

  1. Only local traffic may use the road.
  2. The road is closed to all traffic.
  3. A detour onto another road ahead.

Show answer

B. The road is closed to all traffic. The road is closed to all traffic except authorized vehicles (MUTCD Section 2B.63). Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Section 2B.63, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 6, Temporary Traffic Control: Section 6G.04, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA

Where will you see it?

On barricades across the road at a closure, often at road work or after storms and floods.

What should you do?

Do not drive past it. Follow the detour signs.

What do people get wrong?

Driving around the barricade because the road looks passable.

Common questions

Can local traffic drive past ROAD CLOSED?

No. Where local traffic is allowed, a different sign is used, such as ROAD CLOSED TO THRU TRAFFIC or ROAD CLOSED LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY.

What comes before this sign?

An orange advance warning sign, such as ROAD CLOSED with a distance, and often a detour sign.

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Sources

Checked on 4 November 2026 against the MUTCD 11th Edition (FHWA), Sections 2B.63 and 6G.04.

  1. MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Section 2B.63, FHWA
  2. MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 6, Temporary Traffic Control: Section 6G.04, FHWA
  3. MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA. FHWA lists the current version as the 11th Edition with Revision 1, dated December 2025

Sign pictures are our own simplified drawings of the MUTCD designs, which are in the public domain (MUTCD Section 1D.06). Sources and image credits.

This text was written with AI help, checked against the MUTCD and approved by Fri Vei AS. Last updated .

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