What does the Divided Highway (begins) sign mean?
The Divided Highway (begins) sign (MUTCD W6-1) is a warning sign under the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the national standard the states build from. From here the two directions run on their own pavement with a median between them. Keep to the right of the divider, and expect nothing oncoming until the median runs out.
Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Table 2C-1, checked 2026-09-09.
What shape and color is the Divided Highway (begins) sign?
| MUTCD code | W6-1 |
|---|---|
| Group | Warning signs |
| Shape | Diamond |
| Color | Yellow background, black symbol and border |
What a diamond means. A warning. It tells you what the road does next and obliges you to do nothing in particular, which is the distinction test writers probe most often.
What yellow means. General warning of a permanent condition ahead.
Warning signs. A diamond reports a condition and orders nothing. What you do about it is left to you, and that gap between a report and an order is what test writers keep probing.
What is the Divided Highway (begins) sign often mistaken for?
Divided Highway Ends (W6-2). The two symbols are near mirror images, and the consequence of confusing them is driving into oncoming traffic.
|  |
|---|---|
| GroupWarning signs | GroupWarning signs |
| ShapeDiamond | ShapeDiamond |
| ColorYellow background, black symbol and border | ColorYellow background, black symbol and border |
| What it meansFrom here the two directions run on their own pavement with a median between them. | What it meansThe median ends ahead and you will be facing two-way traffic on a single roadway. |
Which signs get mistaken for the Divided Highway (begins) sign?
Divided Highway Crossing (Keep Right of Median)R6-3The Divided Highway warning sign (W6-1), a yellow diamond warning that the road ahead splits. R6-3 tells you which side to take right now.
What are the other warning signs?
All 55 warning signs on one page, or every US road sign by shape and color.
Test yourself on this sign and the rest of the set with a road signs practice test for Florida, Texas or California.
The artwork is the federal design itself, which the manual dedicates to the public domain in MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, Section 1D.06, checked 2026-09-09. The Interstate Shield, the 511 pictograph and the National Scenic Byway graphic are named exceptions and are not reproduced anywhere on this site.
Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 11th Edition. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Highway Administration or any state agency.