Road closed ahead sign: what it means

ROAD CLOSED 1000 FT sign: an orange diamond with the words ROAD CLOSED 1000 FT in black
Drawing: Drivoku, based on MUTCD sign W20-3. Simplified; real signs follow the FHWA Standard Highway Signs specifications.

The orange ROAD CLOSED sign with a distance warns that the road is closed ahead. Get ready to follow a detour.

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What does the orange ROAD CLOSED sign mean?

MUTCD Section 6H.05 says the ROAD (STREET) CLOSED (W20-3) sign should be used in advance of the point where a highway is closed to all road users, or to all but local road users. The distance may read XX FEET, XX MILES or AHEAD.

Quick quiz

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

  1. The road is closed at the distance shown.
  2. The road is closed to all traffic.
  3. A detour onto another road ahead.

Show answer

A. The road is closed at the distance shown. It warns that the highway is closed ahead (MUTCD Section 6H.05). Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 6, Temporary Traffic Control: Section 6H.05, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Section 2B.63, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA

Where will you see it?

Before road closures at work zones.

What should you do?

Slow down and look for DETOUR signs. Turn off where the detour tells you.

What do people get wrong?

Driving on to the closure to see if you can get through.

Common questions

Is this the same as the white ROAD CLOSED sign?

No. The orange diamond is the advance warning. The white rectangle is at the closure itself.

Can local traffic continue?

Sometimes. Section 6H.05 says it can be used where the road is closed to all but local road users; look for a LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY or THRU TRAFFIC sign.

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Sources

Checked on 4 November 2026 against the MUTCD 11th Edition (FHWA), Sections 6H.05 and 2B.63.

  1. MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 6, Temporary Traffic Control: Section 6H.05, FHWA
  2. MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Section 2B.63, 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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