Plan and run the work zones that keep road crews and drivers safe.
Traffic control crews plan, set, and run work zones on active roads: lane closures, signs, cones, pavement markings, flagging, and pilot trucks. They are first on the job and last off, often at night or on weekends when traffic is lighter, and on GDOT jobs nothing that needs traffic control happens unless a certified Worksite Traffic Control Supervisor is on site.
It is nights, weekends, heat, and traffic moving past you at speed, so a clean driving record matters as much as the work itself. The crews that do it well treat traffic control as a trade with a real path up, not a holding pen for new hires.
Most people start as a flagger, directing traffic and setting signs with a 4-hour, GDOT-approved flagger certification that is often employer-provided. From there, technicians install lane closures and pavement markings, foremen plan and run shifts, and Worksite Traffic Control Supervisors, the certification GDOT requires on state jobs, oversee the zone. WTCS credentials come through ATSSA or the National Safety Council, both taken in person, and the NSC course requires a year of documented work zone experience. A valid driver's license and clean driving record are required to start, and technician roles typically also need a DOT medical card.
Flaggers and technicians run $34,230 to $46,920. Foremen and Worksite Traffic Control Supervisors fall into the same statewide wage category as other construction foremen, up to $119,750, and some Georgia road builders pay them the same as craft foremen and superintendents. Pay climbs fastest with WTCS certification.
Source: Georgia wages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Traffic control runs on certifications. Flaggers on GDOT work need a 4-hour flagger certification, which may be employer-provided. Supervisors need Work Zone Traffic Control Supervisor certification through ATSSA or the National Safety Council, taken in person, with documented work zone experience.