The Roadway Taper

A roadway taper is used in the transition area when a lane will be closed to accommodate the work space. When a roadway taper is present, traffic is moved from the normal path of the road to a new path. Often this is accomplished by slowly narrowing the lane of travel, which forces traffic to move into the new path of travel.

Tapers should be longer rather than shorter to give drivers both a longer reaction time and the opportunity to make a safe transition to the new path of travel. If skid marks are visible in the taper area, the taper area is insufficient and should be lengthened.

It is important that the beginning point of a taper is not hidden behind a curve or obstructed from view in any way.

The taper is indicated by channelizing devices, such as reflective traffic barrels, and signage. To determine the distance between each device, use the speed limit. For example, if the speed limit in the taper area is 45 miles per hour (mph), the traffic barrels indicating the taper must be no more than 45 feet apart from one another.

There are several types of tapers that may be employed for TTC, as follows:

• The merging taper
• The shifting taper
• The shoulder taper
• The downstream taper
• The one-lane, two-way taper

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