The Activity Area

The area of the TTC zone in which the roadway construction work takes place is referred to as the "activity area." The activity area is made up of three distinct sub-areas, as follows:

• The work space
• The traffic space
• The buffer space

The first of these, the work space, is the place where all work activity takes place. It is the portion of the roadway construction zone that is closed to road users and occupied by the workers, equipment, and materials needed for the project.

In a smaller roadway construction project there may be just one work space. In a large construction project that spans a long distance, however, there may be multiple work spaces. In both cases, each work space must be properly signed in a way that informs drivers of the presence of the work area.

Where applicable, the work space is often shielded by barriers designed to bar traffic from entering.

The second part of the activity area is the traffic space. The traffic space is the part of the activity area through which car, trucks, and other vehicles are routed.

The third part, the buffer space, is the area that separates the flow of moving traffic from the work space. This is an open and unoccupied space that is set aside between the transition area and the activity area. It is a margin of safety for both workers and drivers because the buffer space provides room to stop before the work space would be reached.

The buffer space must be maintained as an open space. Do not use the buffer space to park vehicles, store materials, or as a break area for workers.

To learn more about Roadway Temporary Traffic Control visit our Construction Roadway Temporary Traffic Control Online Training web page.