Our Summary

The MUTCD regulation below regulates the type of barricade, colors and slant.  In summary, work zone colors are orange and white.  When a road terminates the colors are to be red and white.  The slant of the material designates which way traffic is to go.  A slant downward and to the left means traffic goes to the left.  A slant downward and to the right means traffic should go to the right.  Reflective material is called L6 or left slant if it slants upward to the left and R6 or right slant if it slants upward to the right.  Note that an L6 material directs traffic to the right and a R6 material directs traffic to the left.  (It is simply the opposite.)  A type 1 barricade has one horizontal bar, a type 2 has 2 and a type 3 has 3.

End of our Summary

Section 6F.68 Type 1, 2, or 3 Barricades

Support:
01 A barricade is a portable or fixed device having from one to three rails with appropriate markings and is used to control road users by closing, restricting, or delineating all or a portion of the right-of-way.
02 As shown in Figure 6F-7, barricades are classified as Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3.

Standard:
03 Stripes on barricade rails shall be alternating orange and white retroreflective stripes sloping downward at an angle of 45 degrees in the direction road users are to pass. Except as provided in Paragraph 4, the stripes shall be 6 inches wide.

December 2009 Sect. 6F.65 to 6F.68
Page 608 2009 Edition

Option:
04 When rail lengths are less than 36 inches, 4-inch wide stripes may be used.
Standard:
05 The minimum length for Type 1 and Type 2 Barricades shall be 24 inches, and the minimum length for Type 3 Barricades shall be 48 inches. Each barricade rail shall be 8 to 12 inches wide. Barricades used on freeways, expressways, and other high-speed roadways shall have a minimum of 270 square inches of retroreflective area facing road users.

Guidance:
06 Where barricades extend entirely across a roadway, the stripes should slope downward in the direction toward which road users must turn.
07 Where both right and left turns are provided, the barricade stripes should slope downward in both directions from the center of the barricade or barricades.
08 Where no turns are intended, the stripes should be positioned to slope downward toward the center of the barricade or barricades.
09 Barricade rails should be supported in a manner that will allow them to be seen by the road user, and in a manner that provides a stable support that is not easily blown over or displaced.
10 The width of the existing pedestrian facility should be provided for the temporary facility if practical. Traffic control devices and other construction materials and features should not intrude into the usable width of the sidewalk, temporary pathway, or other pedestrian facility. When it is not possible to maintain a minimum width of 60 inches throughout the entire length of the pedestrian pathway, a 60 x 60-inch passing space should be provided at least every 200 feet to allow individuals in wheelchairs to pass.
11 Barricade rail supports should not project into pedestrian circulation routes more than 4 inches from the support between 27 and 80 inches from the surface as described in Section 4.4.1 of the “Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG)” (see Section 1A.11).

Option:
12 For Type 1 Barricades, the support may include other unstriped horizontal rails necessary to provide stability.

Guidance:
13 On high-speed expressways or in other situations where barricades may be susceptible to overturning in the wind, ballasting should be used.

Option:
14 Sandbags may be placed on the lower parts of the frame or the stays of barricades to provide the required ballast.

Support:
15 Type 1 or Type 2 Barricades are intended for use in situations where road user flow is maintained through the TTC zone.

Option:
16 Barricades may be used alone or in groups to mark a specific condition or they may be used in a series for channelizing road users.
17 Type 1 Barricades may be used on conventional roads or urban streets.

Guidance:
18 Type 2 or Type 3 Barricades should be used on freeways and expressways or other high-speed roadways.
Type 3 Barricades should be used to close or partially close a road.

Option:
19 Type 3 Barricades used at a road closure may be placed completely across a roadway or from curb to curb.

Guidance:
20 Where provision is made for access of authorized equipment and vehicles, the responsibility for Type 3 Barricades should be assigned to a person who will provide proper closure at the end of each work day.

Support:
21 When a highway is legally closed but access must still be allowed for local road users, barricades usually are not extended completely across the roadway.

Sect. 6F.68 December 2009
2009 Edition Page 609

Standard:
22 A sign shall be installed with the appropriate legend concerning permissible use by local road users (see Section 6F.09). Adequate visibility of the barricades from both directions shall be provided.

Option:
23 Signs may be installed on barricades (see Section 6F.03).
Section 6F.69 Direction Indicator Barricades

Standard:
01 The Direction Indicator Barricade (see Figure 6F-7) shall consist of a One-Direction Large Arrow (W1-6) sign mounted above a diagonal striped, horizontally aligned, retroreflective rail.
02 The One-Direction Large Arrow (W1-6) sign shall be black on an orange background. The stripes on the bottom rail shall be alternating orange and white retroreflective stripes sloping downward at an angle of 45 degrees in the direction road users are to pass. The stripes shall be 4 inches wide. The One-Direction Large Arrow (W1-6) sign shall be 24 x 12 inches. The bottom rail shall have a length of 24 inches and a height of 8 inches.

Option:
03 The Direction Indicator Barricade may be used in tapers, transitions, and other areas where specific directional guidance to drivers is necessary.

Guidance:
04 If used, Direction Indicator Barricades should be used in series to direct the driver through the transition and into the intended travel lane.

Section 2B.67 Barricades
Option:
01 Barricades may be used to mark any of the following conditions:
A. A roadway ends, B. A ramp or lane closed for operational purposes, or
C. The permanent or semi-permanent closure or termination of a roadway.
Standard:
02 When used to warn and alert road users of the terminus of a roadway in other than temporary traffic control zones, barricades shall meet the design criteria of Section 6F.68 for a Type 3 Barricade, except that the colors of the stripes shall be retroreflective white and retroreflective red.
Option:
03 An end-of-roadway marker or markers may be used as described in Section 2C.66.
Guidance:
04 Appropriate advance warning signs (see Chapter 2C) should be used.

To apply simply peel the backing off, apply and then trim.  Or you can trim first then peel the backing off and apply.  For more information or to order the chevron panels CLICK HERE. The 6 x 12 inch panels run $40 for a set plus shipping.  You would receive two panels like in the picture below.  One for the left and one for the right.

This tape is available in either a left slant (L6) or a right slant (R6).  The slant generally directs traffic either to the left or right. 

We have a separate article that goes over the MUTCD regulations governing barricade tape.  The article also shows you when to use a left slant and when to use a right slant.  Click here to view our article on barricade tape regulations.

  The image below shows each.

As you can see, the slant starts at the bottom and goes either right or left.  Also, the tapes are available in either a white/orange or a white/red.  The 6 in L6 or R6 means that the stripes are 6″ wide.  The stripes are placed at a 45 degree angle. 

Because of its unique look and design, reflective barricade tape is also used to mark items like dumpsters, containers, bollards, fences, gate arms, loading docks, heavy equipment, cranes and more.

This product can be purchased online at the following sites.  www.colebrothers.com or www.safety-tapes.com.  Both sites are owned and operated by Cole Farms, Incorporated.  We have been in the reflective tape business since 1998.

Our High Intensity Grade Type 3 Prestriped Barricade Tape is an economical and effective way to mark the end of a road, dead ends, hazardous areas and even the back, front and sides of vehicles.  It is a type 3 glass bead tape and is approximately 3 times brighter than our engineer grade tape.  This allows the tape to be seen from farther way.  In areas where cars approach the tape faster or where there is some competitive lighting the high intensity tape would be seen before an engineer grade would be.  Like all of our reflective tapes this tape is retro reflective meaning it concentrates light and returns it back to the source which in most cases are a cars headlights.

This tape is available in a left slant (L6) or a right slant (R6).   In general, the slant directs traffic either to the left or right. 

We have a separate article that goes over the MUTCD regulations governing barricade tape.  The article also shows you when to use a left slant and when to use a right slant.  Click here to view our article on barricade tape regulations.

The image below shows each.

As you can see, the slant of the stripes starts at the bottom and goes either right or left.  Also, the barricade tapes are available in either a white/orange or a white/red.  The 6 in the designation L6 or R6 means that the stripes are 6″ wide when measured on the diagonal.  The stripes are placed at a 45 degree angle. 

Because of its extra bright reflectivity and unique attention getting look, high intensity barricade tape is used in a variety of other applications.  Items like construction equipment, cranes, concrete barriers, loading docks, earth moving equipment and more are often marked with this tape.

This product can be purchased online at the following sites.  www.colebrothers.com or www.safety-tapes.com.  Both sites are owned and operated by Cole Farms, Inc.  We have been in business since 1998.

US DOT FHWA Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) – 2009 Edition per Section 8C.04 Paragraph 05 stating “Gate arms shall be fully retroreflectorized on both sides and shall have vertical stripes alternatively red and white at 16-inch intervals measured horizontally”.  To view our full article on the MUTCD gate arm requirements CLICK HERE.

The reason for this change is simple.  Barricade tapes that are slanted direct traffic one way or another.  A left slant tape directs traffic to the left and a right slant tape directs traffic to the right.  At a railroad crossing you are supposed to stop.  Hence the change to a tape that does not slant but instead is striped vertically.

The type 2 or better requirement comes from the MUTCD standards for street signs.  Most street signs must now use type 2 or better retro reflective material.  Because of this it is recommeded that you use the same guidelines for reflective gate arms.  Also, it is recommemded that you use the widest tape that will fit on the gate arm.  In the event of an accident you will want to be able to show that you followed the MUTCD standards and also used a reasonable width of tape.

We carry a Reflexite Prismatic Type V gate arm tape in 1″,2″,3″ and 4″ widths.  The tape is available at the following websites.  www.safety-tapes.com and www.reflects-light.com. Both sites are owned and operated by Cole Farms, Inc.  We have been in business since 1998.

DOT C2 reflective tapes are designed to be used on tractor trailer rigs. It is a federal regulation in both the US and Canada that all tractor trailers exceeding 10,000 lbs. be marked with alternating red and white DOT approved 2″ wide (minimum) conspicuity tape along at least 50% of their lengths (can be segmented) and entirely across their back ends. Solid Silver/White DOT tape is required to mark the upper rear corners of trailers by the placement of two 2 inch x 12 inch segments together to form an inverted “L” in each corner. . Although DOT tape is made for trailers it is also very popular for non DOT applications such as motorcycles, bikes and other vehicles due to its extreme brightness and aggressive adhesive.

The C2 designation is simply the width of the tape.  The most common and minimum required width is the 2″ DOT-C2 tape.  We have information on C3 and C4 tapes here. A 3″ tape will however give you 50% more reflectivity and a 4″ will put out 100% more than a 2″ wide tape.  For certain applications this is very beneficial and can make a work zone much safer.

The tape is available at the following websites.  www.safety-tapes.com and www.reflects-light.com. Both sites are owned and operated by Cole Farms, Inc.  We have been in business since 1998.

Many people do not know that the DOT also recognizes C3 and C4 tape under the same regulation.  The 3″ and 4″ C3 and C4 tapes are excellent for applications where more visibility is needed.  For example, a large mining truck would dwarf a 2″ tape.  Therefore it would be reasonable to use a 3″ or 4″ tape on this type of large vehicle.  In addition, large containers that really need to be seen can benefit from the 50% or 100% extra visibility provided by the wider tapes.

We carry the wider DOT tapes for these types of applications. We carry both 30 and 150 foot rolls.  We have these on two of our online stores.  One is www.colebrothers.com and the other is www.safety-tapes.com .  Both sites are owned and operated by our company Cole Farms, Incorporated.  We have been in the reflective tape business since 1998.

Click to see our Reflective Pre-Made Chevron Panels

In summary, the NFPA 1901 guideline says that a fire truck or fire apparatus should have a reflective chevron pattern applied to at least 50% of the rear of the vehicle.  The stripes need to be Red and Yellow in a type 1 or better reflective material.  The width of the stripes should be 6″ wide.  They should slant down and outward at a 45 degree angle.

For pickup trucks and SUV’s a rectangular chevron panel is often all that is needed to fulfill this recommendation.  We carry premade Reflective Chevron Panels that are easy to apply and far exceed NFPA requirements.  The panels are based on a Reflexite V97 or V98 Fluorescent Lime Yellow material.  A transparent overlay is applied to create the red stripes.  The panels are self adhesive with a peel off wax paper backing.  If necessary, the panels are easy to trim so that they go around obstacles like latches and emblems.  A pair of scissors or an exacto is all you need. 

12″ x 6′ panels run $125 each and 16″ x 6′ panels run $150 each. The panels can be ordered by going to www.colebrothers.com/chevronpanels or calling 850-934-3157.

To create striped reflective patterns on diamond treadplate you can use our dots, circles, rounded squares, octagons or our overlay panels.  Application is very simple.  Before you undertake the task of making your diamond plate reflective we suggest you let us mail you a sample of the little dots, rounded squares and overlay panels.  To obtain a sample just email your name and address to steve@reflectivestore.com and ask for a V98 diamond plate sample pack. Or feel free to call us at 850-934-3157.  Our reflective shapes can be ordered at www.reflectiveshapes.com .

The V98 Reflexite material that we use for our reflective shapes is a highly reflective and very tough prismatic sheeting.  It is the most advanced reflective sheeting on the market.  V98 reflective material is conformable, re-positionable and clean removable.  It is a single layer film and therefore does not need to be edge sealed.  Other brands are made in layers and begin to delaminate over time.  Reflexite V98 reflective sheeting will not.  It is for this reason that we recommend this type of film over other brands.