JBC 36 in. Road Closed Sign

A 36 inch road closed sign tells drivers well ahead of the work that the street is shut, not just narrowed. Tree crews put it up for removals, crane picks, and chipper setups that take the full roadway.

When a tree job closes the road

Some jobs cannot be done with a lane shift. A crane parked across the street, a big spar coming down over the road, or a chip truck and loader filling both lanes all mean the road is shut while you work. A Road Closed sign at each end of the work area, backed up with cones or barricades, tells drivers to turn around before they reach the hazard. It is also the sign that keeps a driver from following a GPS route straight into your landing zone.

Set the sign where drivers can see it with time to react and still have a place to turn. Keep it upright, clean, and out of the drop zone, and pick it up as soon as the road reopens so drivers keep trusting your signs.

Permits and the rulebook

Closing a public road usually takes a permit and sometimes a police detail. Sign placement and spacing should follow the MUTCD and your state and local rules, and ANSI Z133 expects a work zone plan whenever traffic is affected. Flaggers need training. Two signs and a stack of cones in the truck mean you are ready when a job turns out to need a closure.

A sign stand keeps a 36 inch sign steady in wind. See our traffic control gear for stands, cones, and other work zone signs.