What does the End Road Work sign mean?
The End Road Work sign (MUTCD G20-2) is a work zone sign under the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the national standard the states build from. The work zone finishes here and normal conditions, including normal speed limits, resume.
Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 6, Table 6H-1, checked 2026-09-09.
What shape and color is the End Road Work sign?
| MUTCD code | G20-2 |
|---|---|
| Group | Work zone signs |
| Shape | Horizontal rectangle |
| Color | Orange background, black legend and border |
What a horizontal rectangle means. Usually guidance: direction, distance and destination. Also used for some regulatory plaques mounted under another sign.
What orange means. Temporary traffic control. A work zone, and usually a higher fine.
Work zone signs. Orange is temporary by definition, used only while traffic is being routed around a job. The shapes repeat from the permanent set; what changes is the color and, in most states, the size of the fine.
Where does the zone end if this sign is posted?
Section 6B.02 runs a work zone from the first warning sign, or the first flashing lights on a work vehicle, to the END ROAD WORK sign or the last temporary traffic control device. Section 6B.07 ends the termination area at the last device, "such as END ROAD WORK signs, if posted." Section 6H.36 says a sign that is used should stand near the downstream end of the termination area, and it may be mounted on the back of a warning sign facing the other direction or on the back of a Type 3 barricade. Table 6H-1 sets 36 by 18 inches on a conventional road and 48 by 24 on a freeway or expressway.
A zone longer than 2 miles should open with ROAD WORK NEXT XX MILES, stated to the nearest whole mile, under Section 6H.35. This sign is the downstream partner, not a mileage repeat. Typical Application 10 lets short-duration flagger work on a two-lane road omit both ROAD WORK AHEAD and this sign. If it was never posted, the zone still ends at the last device.
Does the panel raise the speed limit?
No. It carries no number. Section 6B.07 lists this sign, a Speed Limit sign, or other signs as ways to tell drivers they can resume normal operations. Section 6G.08 offers END WORK ZONE SPEED LIMIT (R2-12) for the downstream end of a reduced limit, and pairs BEGIN HIGHER FINES ZONE (R2-10) with END HIGHER FINES ZONE (R2-11). Section 6B.01 says a reduced limit should cover only the part of the zone with restrictive features, and a cut of more than 10 mph should be used only where those features require it.
- 1Hold the work-zone speed until you reach it
The open pavement in front of a posted END ROAD WORK sign is still the termination area.
- 2Take the number from a speed sign
The orange panel sets nothing. Look for a Speed Limit sign or END WORK ZONE SPEED LIMIT to learn what applies next.
- 3A missing sign is not an endless zone
Some short jobs omit it. The zone then ends at the last cone or drum.
Denise in Washington, DC
- 1On August 12, 2026 at 4:10 p.m. Denise is on a street normally posted 35 mph. The work zone has a 25 mph limit under a WORK ZONE plaque. The last drum is behind her, END ROAD WORK is still ahead on a portable stand as in the photo, and an END WORK ZONE SPEED LIMIT sign stands just past it.
- 2She speeds up to 35 at the last drum.
Outcome. She ran 10 over the posted 25 for that whole stretch. The pavement was still the termination area under Section 6B.07, and END ROAD WORK would not have changed the number anyway. Section 6G.08 puts the END WORK ZONE SPEED LIMIT sign at the downstream end of the reduced limit, and that sign was still ahead of her.
How Texas decides the fine still applies
Section 472.022 defines a construction or maintenance work zone as one marked by signs that identify it as a work zone, show where it begins and ends, and state "Fines double when workers present." Mobile operations are excluded, and the statute does not name G20-2. Section 542.404 doubles the minimum and maximum fine for most traffic offenses in that zone only when workers are present and the ticket says so on its face. Inspection, pedestrian, child seat, and seat belt offenses are excluded, and a speeding fine doubles only if a sign in the zone states the maximum speed. Disobeying a work-zone warning sign under Section 472.022 is $1 to $200, or $2 to $400 when workers are present and the ticket says so.
For a New York driver, reaching the last barrel is no reason to accelerate past a posted work-zone limit. This END ROAD WORK panel has no number, so check the separate speed signs before returning to the usual speed. New York DMV lists work-zone speeding at 8 points. If a reduced limit still applies between the barrels and this sign, hold that limit for the remaining stretch.
- Speeding up at the last barrel while this sign is still ahead.
- Treating the legend as a new speed limit. It has no number.
- Assuming Texas doubles every fine inside the signs with nobody working. Workers, and a ticket that says so, are also required.
The mileage sign should precede any zone longer than 2 miles and may be used on shorter ones. Only a speed limit sign carries a number.
What is the End Road Work sign often mistaken for?
Being read as permission to accelerate before reaching it. The elevated work-zone penalties run all the way to this sign, not to the last barrel you passed.
Which signs get mistaken for the End Road Work sign?
- Road Work Next XX MilesG20-1
End Road Work (G20-2). Note G20 signs are guide-type designations that take orange backgrounds inside a work zone.
What does the permit test ask about the End Road Work sign?
This question is from the practice bank, with the answer marked.
You are driving in a work zone where the limit is reduced. If you exceed it:
- A.The normal fine applies
- B.Fines are commonly doubled(correct answer)
- C.No penalty applies to work zones
- D.You only receive a warning
Why: Most states double fines in an active work zone, and many add points. Workers are often within a few feet of live traffic with no barrier.
Source: FHWA work zone safety guidance
Questions drivers ask about the End Road Work sign
Can I speed up at the last cone?
Not if END ROAD WORK is still ahead. Section 6B.07 runs the termination area to the last device and names this sign when it is posted. If no end sign was posted, Section 6B.02 ends the zone at the last device instead. Either way, the orange panel is not a speed sign.
The sign shows no speed. What limit applies after it?
Whatever the speed signs say. Section 6B.07 treats this panel, a Speed Limit sign, or other signs as ways to mark a return to normal operations, but only the speed signs carry a number. Section 6G.08 places END WORK ZONE SPEED LIMIT, R2-12, at the downstream end of a reduced limit. Section 6B.01 says a reduced limit should cover only the stretch that actually has the restriction.
In Texas, are fines doubled up to this sign even with no workers?
No. The zone must meet Section 472.022, which includes signs stating "Fines double when workers present." Section 542.404 then doubles the minimum and maximum only when workers are present and the ticket says so. With no workers, the ordinary range applies, and a doubled speeding fine also needs a sign in the zone stating the maximum lawful speed.
Why is the legend sometimes on the back of another sign?
Section 6H.36 allows it on the back of a warning sign facing the other direction, and on the back of a Type 3 barricade. You read it after you pass that device. It is still the downstream end. A face you never see is for the other approach.
Sources
- MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 6, Table 6H-1
- MUTCD 11th Edition (December 2023), Part 6, Sections 6B.01, 6B.02, 6B.07, 6G.08, 6H.35, and 6H.36, Table 6H-1, Typical Application 10
- Texas Transportation Code section 472.022, work-zone definition and warning signs
- Texas Transportation Code section 542.404, fines in a work zone
- New York State DMV, The New York State Driver Point System
What are the other work zone signs?
All 9 work zone 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, California or New York.
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.