Arkansas · Handbook chapter 3 · 4 min read

Driving through Arkansas work zones: standard and mobile work zones, flashing green lights, orange work zone signs, doubled fines, speed cameras, merging early and obeying flaggers.

Why this chapter matters

Work zone crashes in Arkansas rose by more than 70 percent from 2018 to 2021, and in 2024 there were more than 1,600 of them. Many of the people hurt are drivers, not workers. The study guide gives work zones a full section, and the rules on fines, flaggers and signs are all fair game for the exam.

Two kinds of work zone

• A standard work zone is a construction site that can stay in one place for months or years.
• A mobile work zone moves: a crew painting stripes, clearing debris or patching potholes, often driving slowly with frequent stops. Its vehicles carry WORK ZONE, FINES DOUBLE signs on the back.
• Arkansas allows flashing green lights on construction and maintenance vehicles, alongside yellow or white lights. Green lights mean an active work zone: slow down and take care.

Work zone signs

• Work zone signs may be diamond or rectangular, with an orange, white or black background and black or white letters or symbols.
• They warn of reduced speeds, detours, slow construction equipment and rough or changing road surfaces.
• Common work zone signs include a flagger symbol (a flagger is controlling traffic ahead), DETOUR (the normal route is closed and traffic is sent another way) and ROAD WORK with a distance (work is going on ahead, so expect closures or restrictions).
• Traffic may also be directed by police officers, cones, barrels and pavement markings.

The rules when workers are present

• Fines double for any moving violation in a work zone, including speeding, reckless and distracted driving. Doubled fines can reach $5,000. Mobile work zones count the same as standard ones.
• Holding your phone to call, text, look up directions or scroll counts as a moving violation. If you cannot go hands-free, leave the phone alone.
• Begin slowing when you see the work zone signs and keep the reduced speed until you see a posted speed limit sign. If no reduced limit is posted, obey the normal limit.
• Speed cameras are used in interstate work zones: an officer at the end of the zone watches the camera and pulls violators over as they leave.

Driving through safely

• Before: check your route for work zones and put the phone away.
• Entering: slow to the posted limit and merge early when a lane is closed, ideally a mile or more before the closure. Expect delays and sudden stops.
• Inside: watch for workers, equipment, barrels and changing lanes, and keep a safe following distance, because rear-end crashes are common in work zones.

Flaggers

• A flagger is a worker who directs traffic with a STOP/SLOW paddle, a flag or signals. Flaggers are legally authorized to direct traffic.
• A flagger's instructions override other signals and signs.
• When told to stop, stop at the marked spot or at least one car length away from the flagger, and wait for the signal to go.
• Expect one-way traffic: one direction waits while the other moves slowly, sometimes behind a pilot car.