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PaperclipPerfector  14hr ago (text post)   706 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for May 1, 2026

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I want to know what the actual regulations and best practices are so I can go into full-blown dick mode the next time this happens and have some ammunition to back me up.

I was a designer who drew up traffic-control plans, not a construction engineer who oversaw the actual implementation of those plans, but I'll do my best.

MUTCD chapter 6D (Flagger Control):

The STOP/SLOW paddle should be the primary and preferred hand-signaling device because the STOP/SLOW paddle gives road users more positive guidance than red flags.

Use of flags should be limited to emergency situations.

When flagging in an emergency situation at night in a non-illuminated flagger station, a flagger may use a flashlight with a red glow cone to supplement the STOP/SLOW paddle or flag.

§ 6D.05 ¶ 5 includes detailed instructions on hand movements when using flags rather than a stop/slow paddle.

However, it looks like PennDOT is much less strict than the feds on the usage of flags over stop/slow paddles. See the text that I have italicized below. (This is novel to me. NJDOT Standard Specifications § 159.03.08 item A prescribes the use only of paddles, not of flags—even though NJDOT still calls them "flaggers"!)

PennDOT Publication 408 (Construction Specifications) § 901.3:

According to Publication 212, Publication 213, and the MUTCD.

Install and maintain traffic control devices as indicated on the TCP [traffic-control plan]…

Provide flaggers that successfully completed a flagger-training course within the last 3 years that complies with the Department’s minimum flagger training guidelines described below. Assure that flaggers carry a valid wallet-sized training card containing the name of the flagger, training source, date of successful completion of training, and signature; or provide a roster of trained flaggers to the Representative before the start of flagging operations that contains the names of flaggers, training source, and date of successful completion of training. Minimum flagger training guidelines include the following…

Publication 212 (Official Traffic Control Devices) § 403:

Plans for construction projects must either reference or include a temporary traffic-control (TTC) plan, which must consist of one of the following:

(1) A reference to a specific figure either in the MUTCD or in [Publication 213] that properly depicts actual site conditions.

(2) A copy of a specific figure either in the MUTCD or [in Publication 213] which has been modified to depict actual site conditions and the necessary traffic-control requirements for the specific project.

(3) One or more detailed plan sheets or drawings showing the actual site conditions and the TTC requirements for the specific project.

§ 412:

A red flag shall only be used to control traffic in emergencies when a Stop/Slow Paddle is not available or at intersections where a single flagger is used within an intersection.

Last night I was sitting at a 5-way intersection in the southbound center lane, intending to continue on the same road. There is also a left turning lane for those making one of two left-hand options, as well as a lane for those turning right. The lane I was traveling in, on the far side of the intersection (about 200' away), was blocked by construction vehicles, a sign saying "Road Work Ahead", and two flaggers, one with a flag and one with those light batons.

A flagger-controlled alternating-traffic setup beginning at a four-way signalized intersection is covered by Publication 213 figure 110-Q or 110-R. (For a five-way intersection, the designer or contractor would have to draw up a custom, but largely similar, traffic-control plan.) Both figures put a paddle-wielding flagger at the end of the closure that isn't at the intersection. To cover the other three approaches, figure 110-Q puts one flag-wielding flagger in the middle of the intersection controlling three approaches, while figure 110-R uses three paddle-wielding flaggers. You can see how a contractor might prefer to cut his labor costs by using 110-Q over 110-R.

There was no signage indicating that the southbound lane was closed, or any posted detour.

If there were flaggers, then the setup was supposed to be alternating traffic with no detours, not full closure with a "road closed" sign and detours. (See Publication 213 figure 215, which covers a road closure.)

So, in sum:

  • From your description, it sounds like the overall traffic-control setup was standards-compliant as originally designed, but the flaggers were badly trained (and incorrectly equipped, if one of them was holding only light-up cones, without a flag; see also Publication 213 § B-14). You can try complaining to PennDOT that it should follow NJDOT and abandon the use of a flag-wielding flagger standing in the middle of an intersection to control multiple legs of that intersection simultaneously, but you probably won't have much success.

  • MUTCD § 6D.05 can be pointed at in order to explain how a flagger is "treating his traffic control device like a toy" and "making waving motions that are vague".

Note:

  • It's very possible that PennDOT has guidelines regarding when 110-Q is unsafe (e. g., due to high traffic volume) and 110-R must be used, and I just failed to find those guidelines.

  • This may have been a local jurisdiction that should be following PennDOT standards but is just too lazy to do so.

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