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These 10 free TCDS questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Traffic Control Design Specialist blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Two 12-foot lanes will remain open while their alignment shifts 8 feet to the left around bridge work. The selected speed for taper design is 50 mph. For this speed, the MUTCD uses L = WS, with W in feet and S in mph. Using the tabulated minimum, which taper type and calculated length apply before any site-specific adjustment?
Correct answer: B - A shifting taper of 200 feet
A temporary sidewalk bypass has a firm surface, adequate clear width, and accessible connections at both ends. Its work-side boundary consists of cones joined by waist-high caution tape. The remaining design concern is independent navigation by pedestrians using long canes. The boundary should be revised by:
Correct answer: D - Providing continuous edging detectable by a long cane along the bypass.
A drainage repair requires a two-hour closure of one of two through lanes. Observed demand is 1,800 vehicles per hour during the morning peak and 900 at midday; estimated capacity with the lane closed is 1,400. The repair can be completed in either period, with comparable working conditions and access. Select the strategy that best addresses the demand-capacity imbalance without unnecessary restrictions.
Correct answer: C - Schedule the lane closure at midday and reopen before demand increases.
A preconstruction free-flow speed study reports a mean speed of 48 mph and an 85th-percentile speed of 57 mph. In reviewing the approach to a planned lane closure, how should the engineer interpret the 57-mph figure?
Correct answer: C - About 85 percent of sampled vehicles were traveling at or below 57 mph.
Passenger cars negotiate a temporary reverse curve without difficulty. At low speed, several tractor-trailers keep their tractor wheels inside the marked lane, but their trailer wheels cross the inside edge line. The field layout matches the drawing. Which design issue best explains the pattern?
Correct answer: A - Insufficient swept-path width for the design vehicle through the curve
A utility crew will occupy one fixed location for three hours, entirely after dark. The traffic-control layout will be removed that night, and the crew will not return to the location. Under the MUTCD, this is classified as:
Correct answer: A - Intermediate-term stationary work
An approved bridge-repair plan requires positive protection beside the work space. A supplier proposes interconnected, water-filled plastic units documented as crashworthy longitudinal channelizing devices, but not as traffic barriers. What does that documentation establish?
Correct answer: D - The units provide channelization, not the required vehicle containment.
Task-light measurements meet the project specification at a night paving operation. During an approach drive-through, however, the inspector loses sight of the lane-edge devices while looking toward a portable light tower. Which revision addresses this finding without sacrificing task visibility?
Correct answer: A - Re-aim or shield the floodlights, then repeat the nighttime approach check.
Before opening a six-week traffic shift, an inspector finds that the old lane lines still lead into the closed work space. New temporary markings follow the intended alignment, but both sets are visible. Which proposed treatment is acceptable for this long-term stage?
Correct answer: D - Remove or obliterate the conflicting lines before releasing traffic.
A traffic-control sheet uses 100-foot stationing, with traffic traveling toward increasing stations. The lane-closure taper begins at 40+00 and ends at 43+00; the work space begins at 46+20. The project requires 400 feet of clear longitudinal buffer between the taper and the work space. Identify the buffer actually shown and the resulting design finding.
Correct answer: B - 320 feet; the buffer is 80 feet shorter than required.
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