The Trans-European North-South Motorway (TEM) Project was initiated to facilitate road traffic in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and to assist with the process of integrating European transport infrastructure systems.

Major infrastructure projects which are implemented to improve the efficiency, safety and environmental performance of the TEM Backbone Network are often accompanied by risks during construction, rehabilitation and maintenance works. Work zones pose specific risks not only to the road users driving through complex arrangements of signs, road markings and lane changes, but also to the workers conducting the road works. These risks are mainly the result of the competition between workers and motorists for the limited road space available in work zones.

An overview of the current state of practice across TEM member countries revealed a multitude of design and signage practices for road work zones, with different characteristics that are often hard to understand for road users – especially for cross border traffic. These Guidelines are based on a comprehensive review of the most relevant road work zones guidelines, standards, studies and projects, addressing current trends, standards, technologies and equipment in road work zones on motorways in TEM member countries.

These Guidelines identify good practice solutions and present a unified compilation of road work zone safety principles and measures that should govern the planning, design, implementation and operation of road work zones in TEM member countries, mitigating many of the risks to both road workers and users.