MUTCD device spacing calculator
Maximum spacing for cones, drums, vertical panels and barricades, per MUTCD 11th Edition Section 6K.01.
Posted speed limit, off-peak 85th-percentile speed prior to work starting, or anticipated operating speed.
Length of the taper or tangent you are channelizing.
In a taper
35ft max
1 × 35 mph
MUTCD 11th Ed, Section 6K.01 para 04
On a tangent
70ft max
2 × 35 mph
MUTCD 11th Ed, Section 6K.01 para 04
Devices required
300 ft runIn a taper
At 35 ft maximum spacing
9
On a tangent
At 70 ft maximum spacing
5
Downstream and one-lane two-way tapers
At 20 ft, per Section 6B.08
16
Devices this spacing applies to
MUTCD 11th Ed, Section 6K.01Traffic cone
Section 6K.03
18" min height
Tubular marker
Section 6K.04
18" min height
Vertical panel
Section 6K.05
24" min height
Drum
Section 6K.06
36" min height
Type 1 barricade
Section 6K.07
—
Type 2 barricade
Section 6K.07
—
Type 3 barricade
Section 6K.07
—
Longitudinal channelizing device
Section 6K.10
32" min height
The spacing rule
MUTCD 11th Edition Section 6K.01 paragraph 04 states that the spacing between cones, tubular markers, vertical panels, drums, and barricades should not exceed a distance in feet equal to 1 times the speed limit in mph when used for taper channelization, and should not exceed 2 times the speed limit in mph when used for tangent channelization.
These are maximums, not targets. In practice a run is laid out at the largest spacing at or below the maximum that puts a device exactly at each end, which is what this calculator and the plan builder both do.
Extending devices past the transition
Section 6K.01 paragraph 05 adds a case that is easy to miss on a submittal: where channelizing devices could lead traffic out of the intended traffic space, they should extend a distance in feet of 2 times the speed limit in mph beyond the downstream end of the transition area.
Frequently asked questions
- How far apart should cones be in a taper?
- No further apart in feet than 1 times the speed limit in mph, per MUTCD 11th Edition Section 6K.01 paragraph 04. At 35 mph that is 35 feet; at 55 mph it is 55 feet.
- How far apart should cones be on a tangent?
- No further apart in feet than 2 times the speed limit in mph, per MUTCD Section 6K.01 paragraph 04. At 35 mph that is 70 feet.
- Which devices does this spacing apply to?
- Cones, tubular markers, vertical panels, drums, and barricades, per MUTCD Section 6K.01 paragraph 04.
- What is the device spacing in a downstream taper?
- Approximately 20 feet, per MUTCD Section 6B.08 paragraphs 12 and 14. The same 20-foot spacing applies in a one-lane, two-way traffic taper.
- How tall does a traffic cone have to be?
- At least 18 inches for daytime work on low-speed roadways. On freeways and other high-speed highways, or at night on any highway, cones must be a minimum of 28 inches, per MUTCD Section 6K.03.