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 Diversion route and Road closed](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/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 **Utrecht, Neude closure, week 38**), and the **Start** and **End** of the works. Click **Start planning**.

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

## 2. Find the street

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

## 3. Close the road

Open **Traffic Objects** → **Signs**:

1. Search **C01** (closed in both directions) and place one at each end of the closed stretch.
2. Search **J16** (road works) and place one on each approach, before drivers reach the closure.
3. Add any speed limit your permit asks for on the approaches.

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

## 4. Block the street

On an organization account, use **Bulk signs**: draw the line across or along the closed stretch, pick **BB33** (the cone), and choose **Separated** with a **Distance** of a few metres, 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).

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 forwards), so the line shows which way traffic goes.
2. Click along the streets of the diversion, 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).

## 6. Sign the detour

Search **Omleiding** in **Signs**. The detour boards are combination signs, for example **Omleiding + custom routebord**. Place one at every junction 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).

## 7. Make the key readable

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

## 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 junction 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).

![The legend page of the exported PDF, listing Diversion route and Road closed](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/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).

## What good looks like

- Both ends of the closure carry **C01**, and every approach warns with **J16**.
- 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 junction 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) |
| **Bulk signs** or **XL** is locked | [Feature not available for my account](/hc/test/articles/feature-not-available) |
| Signs stop after five on a new plan | [I can’t place more signs](/hc/test/articles/cannot-place-more-signs) |
| The PDF is blank or stuck | [Export fails or is blank](/hc/test/articles/export-fails) |

## Related articles

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