Road-works warning sign
Triangle, yellow ground
Advance warning of works ahead, on a portable frame or a post — sized by the road’s speed.
Temporary traffic management
Work-zone traffic signs and barricades — sizes, colours and sheeting for UAE road works
Temporary traffic management signs warn and guide drivers through road works. In Abu Dhabi they follow the Work Zone Traffic Management Manual and the emirate’s traffic sign manual TR-511: road-works signs are yellow with a black legend and border, regulatory and warning signs use ASTM D4956 Type IV reflective sheeting, and sign size rises with the road’s design speed — a warning triangle is 750 mm at 40 km/h and up to 1500 mm at 120 km/h. Barricades carry red and white reflective stripes, and leaving temporary signs on the road after the works is a fineable violation.
A yellow road-works warning triangle on an A-frame, a chevron board, a red and white barricade and a cone
- Yellow
- Road-works signs: black legend and border
- Type IV
- Reflective sheeting for regulatory and warning signs
- 750–1500 mm
- Warning triangle, by design speed
- AED 5,000
- Fine for temporary signs left after the works
Signs and devices used in UAE work zones
Temporary speed limit
Circle
Reduced limit through the work zone; the circle grows with approach speed.
Detour and lane-closure sign
Rectangle, 3:4
Diagrammatic sign showing the diversion or the closed lane, in the TR-511 rectangle sizes.
Barricade board
Red/white at 45°
Reflective striped boards that close a lane or a site edge; Dubai also allows yellow and black.
Chevron board
Arrow shapes
Marks the direction of a taper or a sharp change of path through the works.
STOP / SLOW paddle
450 mm octagon
Two-sided flagman paddle on a 1.2 m pole — STOP in reflective red, SLOW on a yellow diamond.
Sign sizes by design speed (Abu Dhabi TR-511, Table 4-8)
The minimum recommended sizes for ground-mounted signs. The higher figure applies on the more important road of the band.
| Design speed | Regulatory (circle) | Warning (triangle side) | Diagrammatic (W × H) | Clear visibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≤ 40 km/h | 600 mm | 750 mm | 900 × 1200 mm | 50 m |
| 60 km/h | 750 mm | 900 mm | 1200 × 1600 mm | 75 m |
| 80 km/h | 750–900 mm | 900–1200 mm | 1200 × 1600 mm | 100 m |
| 100 km/h | 1200 mm | 1200–1500 mm | 1800 × 2400 mm | 200 m |
| 120 km/h and above | 1200 mm | 1500 mm | 2250 × 3000 mm | 300 m |
Urban signs are mounted with the bottom edge 2100–2500 mm above ground, 450–1000 mm from the edge of an arterial or local road (TR-511, Table 4-10). Cones are at least 450 mm high.
Sheeting and build
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Colour, road-works signs | Yellow background, black legend and border (TR-511 Table 4-9) |
| Sheeting, regulatory and warning | ASTM D4956 Type IV (TR-511 §1.26.8.3) |
| Sheeting, overhead and coloured guide | ASTM D4956 Type XI |
| Maintained brightness | Yellow ≥ 100 and red ≥ 30 cd/lx/m²; contrast at least 3:1 (Table 4-5) |
| Barricades | Reflective red and white stripes; Dubai: red/white or yellow/black at 45° to the direction of travel |
| STOP / SLOW paddle | 450 mm octagon on a 1.2 m pole; STOP letters ≥ 150 mm, SLOW letters ≥ 120 mm (Dubai code) |
The documents that govern
Abu Dhabi Work Zone Traffic Management Manual (TR-531)
3rd edition, October 2020, binding on all entities by Executive Council resolution. Sets the layouts, devices and spacing for each type of work zone.
Abu Dhabi traffic sign manual TR-511 (4th ed., 2024)
Sign sizes by speed, colours, reflective sheeting types, retroreflectivity, mounting height and offset.
ITC traffic detour procedures — fines
Temporary signs and devices left on the road after the works: AED 5,000. Works without a detour permit: AED 100,000. Deep excavation without barriers: AED 50,000.
DM Code of Construction Safety Practice
Barricades with reflective banners at 45°; flashing amber lights at night; flagman equipment and the STOP/SLOW paddle.
What to include in a request
The approved traffic management drawing is the best brief.
- The traffic management plan or detour drawing, with the sign schedule
- Road design speed, which sets the sign sizes
- Sign codes and quantities, or the wording for each
- Portable frames, posts or sandbagged stands
- Barricade boards: length and stripe colours
- Duration of the works and the start date
Questions about work-zone traffic signs
What colour are temporary road-works signs in Abu Dhabi?
Yellow background with a black legend and border, except regulatory signs such as speed limits — Abu Dhabi traffic sign manual TR-511, Table 4-9.
How big should a road-works warning triangle be?
It depends on the design speed: 750 mm per side up to 40 km/h, 900 mm at 60 km/h, 900–1200 mm at 80 km/h, 1200–1500 mm at 100 km/h and 1500 mm at 120 km/h and above.
Which reflective sheeting is required?
TR-511 specifies ASTM D4956 Type IV for regulatory and warning signs and Type XI for overhead and coloured guide signs. The work-zone manual sets any project-specific grade.
What happens if temporary signs are left after the works?
Failure to remove all temporary signs, markings, equipment and debris from the road is fined AED 5,000 under the ITC detour procedures.
What is the STOP/SLOW paddle size?
In Dubai’s construction safety code: a 450 mm octagon on a 1.2 m pole, STOP in high-intensity reflective red with letters at least 150 mm, SLOW in black on a reflective yellow diamond with letters at least 120 mm.
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