This recipe takes one common job from an empty map to a file pack the municipality can approve: a street closed for works, with traffic sent round a signed detour. Each step links to the full article if you want more detail.

![A finished detour plan: closed-road signs and a row of cones on the closed street, a detour line with arrows along the next street, and the Legend reading Detour route and Road closed](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en_US/traffic-plans/recipes/01-detour-plan.png)

## When you need this

Use it for your first real closure, or as a checklist before you send a plan. Skip it if you already know the editor well. The individual articles are faster for a single question.

## 1. Start the plan

On **Home**, choose **Traffic Plan**. Set **Country**, a plan name that says where and when (for example **Austin, Congress Avenue closure, September 15**), and the **Start** and **End** of the works. Click **Start planning**.

The dates print on every PDF page. [Your first plans](/hc/test/articles/your-first-plans-us).

## 2. Find the street

Click **Search address** and type the street with its town, for example **Congress Avenue, Austin**. Zoom in until the intersections at both ends of the closure fill the map. [Search address, zoom, and Scale](/hc/test/articles/search-address-zoom-and-scale-us).

## 3. Close the road

Open **Traffic Objects** → **Signs**:

1. Search **R11-2** (road closed) and place one at each end of the closed stretch.
2. Search **CW20-1** (road work ahead) and place one on each approach, before drivers reach the closure.
3. Add any speed limit your permit asks for on the approaches.

These codes are from the United States catalog. On a plan with another **Country** the signs have other codes.

[Working with signs](/hc/test/articles/working-with-signs-us).

## 4. Block the street

On an organization account, use **Bulk signs**: draw the line across or along the closed stretch, pick **Cone 28** (the cone), and choose **Separated** with a **Distance** of a few meters, the way the crew sets out cones. One line gives you a counted row of cones in the **Materials list**. [Place bulk signs along a line](/hc/test/articles/bulk-signs-us).

Without **Bulk signs**, place a few barriers from **Signs** by hand.

## 5. Draw the detour

1. Click **Add line**, then the right arrow beside it (the line points forward), so the line shows which way traffic goes.
2. Click along the streets of the detour, following the road. Double-click to finish.
3. If the municipality wants the closed stretch marked, draw it with **Add rectangle**.

[Drawing and measuring](/hc/test/articles/drawing-and-measuring-us).

## 6. Sign the detour

Search **Omleiding** in **Signs**. The detour boards are combination signs, for example **Omleiding + custom routebord**. Place one at every intersection where drivers must turn, open **Details** → **Edit sign**, and set the text and arrow. Give each board a **Name** so it is easy to find in the **Materials list**. [Combination signs](/hc/test/articles/combination-signs-us).

## 7. Make the key readable

Open **Items** → **PDF legend** on the right strip. Your line and rectangle are already listed with readable color names. Rename them in plain language, for example **Detour route** and **Road closed**. That is the text the reader sees. [Traffic plan legend](/hc/test/articles/traffic-plan-legend-us).

## 8. Build the file pack

Click **Export**. If the municipality works from links, copy the **Sharable link** and skip to step 9. For files, click **Continue to export**:

1. Draw a **Detail** map over each intersection on the detour.
2. On a Pro account, draw one **XL** map over the whole detour, turn on **Detail frames**, and turn on **XL maps first**. Page 1 is then an overview with a numbered box for every detail page.
3. Turn on **Include legend** and **Materials list**.
4. Click **Export now** and open the PDF.

[Export and print traffic plans](/hc/test/articles/export-and-print-us).

![The legend page of the exported PDF, listing Detour route and Road closed](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en_US/traffic-plans/recipes/02-detour-legend-pdf.png)

## 9. Send it

Most municipalities prefer the **Sharable link**: it always shows the latest saved version. Attach the PDF only when someone asks for a file. [Share a plan and read-only view](/hc/test/articles/share-link-and-read-only-us).

## What good looks like

- Both ends of the closure carry **R11-2**, and every approach warns with **CW20-1**.
- The detour line follows real streets, with arrows in the direction of traffic.
- Every turn on the detour has a board.
- The legend speaks plain language, and the PDF opens on an overview that points to each intersection page.

## If something blocks you

| Situation | Where to go |
|-----------|-------------|
| A sign code is missing from **Signs** | Check the plan's country: [Wrong country or missing traffic signs](/hc/test/articles/wrong-country-or-signs-us) |
| **Bulk signs** or **XL** is locked | [Feature not available for my account](/hc/test/articles/feature-not-available-us) |
| Signs stop after five on a new plan | [I can’t place more signs](/hc/test/articles/cannot-place-more-signs-us) |
| The PDF is blank or stuck | [Export fails or is blank](/hc/test/articles/export-fails-us) |

## Related articles

- [Your first plans](/hc/test/articles/your-first-plans-us)
- [Working with signs](/hc/test/articles/working-with-signs-us)
- [Advanced sign placement](/hc/test/articles/advanced-sign-placement-us)
- [Drawing and measuring](/hc/test/articles/drawing-and-measuring-us)
- [Combination signs](/hc/test/articles/combination-signs-us)
- [Traffic plan legend](/hc/test/articles/traffic-plan-legend-us)
- [Export and print traffic plans](/hc/test/articles/export-and-print-us)