A traffic guidance scheme (TGS) tells a crew exactly what goes where: every sign, cone and taper, and the distances between them. But those distances only work if the whole layout starts at the right place on the right side of the road. On Queensland's state-controlled roads, that's where chainage comes in. This guide covers what the Queensland and national guides require about location, and a practical way to reference it.
The rules in Queensland
The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has adopted Austroads' Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (AGTTM). The Queensland Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (QGTTM) contains only Queensland's departures from it; the two are read together, and the QGTTM takes precedence except where the Austroads text is "accepted". TMR introduced the QGTTM from late 2020, and it became mandatory on 1 August 2021.
- Editions: Queensland applies AGTTM Parts 1 to 7, 9 and 10 Edition 1.1 (2021) and Part 8 Edition 1.0 (2019). Austroads released Edition 1.2 of Parts 1–7, 9 and 10 in May 2026, but TMR has said this has no impact on the version applied in Queensland.
- Updates: TMR now releases QGTTM updates twice a year, in May and November. The November 2025 update brought in, among other things, documented risk assessments for variations, electronic signatures on TMPs and TGSs, and revised road categories mapped on Queensland Globe.
- MUTCD Part 3 is still current alongside the QGTTM.
- TMR contracts add their own requirements through the technical specification MRTS02 Provision for Traffic, and only organisations registered under TMR's Traffic Management Registration Scheme may do the work.
Definitions, from AGTTM Part 1: a TGS is "an arrangement of temporary traffic control devices to warn traffic and guide it around, through or past a worksite or temporary hazard", usually a diagram. A traffic management plan (TMP) is the document describing all the essential traffic management matters for the works. The person responsible for the design is the traffic management designer (TMD).
What the guides say about location
None of the guides prescribes one format for location, but together they're clear that a TMP and TGS must pin the works to a real place:
- A location plan. AGTTM Part 2 asks the TMP to "include a plan or sketch outlining the location of the worksite and its relationship to the surrounding street network", along with the road classification, the existing speed limit, the road infrastructure manager, the local government area, and the dates and hours of work.
- Enough detail to install without guessing. Each TGS must be "sufficiently detailed and clearly dimensioned to enable a third party to install the devices without constant referral", and dates and times for installation must be on each TGS. MRTS02 also requires a TGS to be fully dimensioned and to state the time, date and responsible person.
- Generic layouts get location added. AGTTM Part 8 notes that a generic TGS "has no specific location information"; once it's confirmed as suitable for a site, location information is added. Its long-form TMP template asks for road names and suburb, the from and to house numbers or reference points, the road category and the permanent speed.
- Chainage is named for field staff. AGTTM Part 6, for the people setting up the site, says the first step is to locate the work area "using GPS, landmarks, side streets, chainage".
- TMR uses chainage itself. TMR's Traffic Management at Works on Roads guideline gives its example location as "activities at Ch. Xxx on xxx Road", and requires a motorway TGS to give the limits of the work site.
Why chainage suits a TGS on state roads
A TGS is a set of relative distances: sign to sign, sign to taper, taper to work area. On a suburban street, a house number or cross street anchors those distances. On most of Queensland's highways there are no house numbers and the nearest cross street may be kilometres away, so the anchor has to come from the road itself.
TMR chainage (the through distance along a road section, with its carriageway) gives every point on a state-controlled road a unique reference, in the same system TMR uses for its own records. Write the work area as a chainage range, and every device's position follows from the dimensions. The crew, the TMD, the client and TMR all end up talking about exactly the same place. If chainage is new to you, see What is chainage?
A location block for your TMP and TGS
Here's a practical set of location fields that covers what the guides ask for and what a crew needs on the day:
| Field | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Road, number and section | Bruce Highway, 10A | Chainage restarts in every section; the name alone is ambiguous. |
| Work area | Ch 25.300 to 25.900 km | The fixed points the TGS dimensions hang from. |
| Extent of traffic management | Ch 24.900 to 26.100 km | From the first advance warning sign to the end of the last device, which can be well outside the work area. |
| Carriageway and direction | Carriageway 2, northbound (gazettal) | On a divided road, the other side is a different site. |
| GPS coordinates | Start and end of works, decimal degrees | Universal: works in any navigation app and for anyone without TMR data. |
| Landmarks | 500 m north of the Smith Rd overpass | A sanity check people can see. |
| Speed limit and road category | 110 km/h | Drives sign sizes, spacing and treatment selection. |
| Traffic volume (AADT) | From TMR's census | Informs the design, and TMD accreditation can be limited by AADT. |
| Road manager and LGA | TMR, Moreton Bay | Who approves, and who else needs to know. |
The examples are illustrative only. Your client's template, contract or TMR district may want more.
The direction trap: working out sign chainages
The most common chainage mistake on a TGS is getting the direction wrong when converting distances into chainages.
Chainage increases in the gazettal direction, for example northbound on Bruce Highway section 10A. Advance warning signs go before the work area, from the point of view of approaching traffic:
- Traffic travelling in the gazettal direction (chainage increasing) approaches from lower chainages. A sign 400 m before a work area starting at Ch 25.300 goes at Ch 24.900.
- Traffic travelling against the gazettal direction (chainage decreasing) approaches from higher chainages. For the same work area ending at Ch 25.900, a sign 400 m before it goes at Ch 26.300.
(The 400 m is an example. Use the spacings your layout and the guides require for the speed and road.) Mark the gazettal direction with an arrow on the TGS, and if traffic in both directions is affected, work out each approach separately.
Checking the location before and on the day
A desktop check before the site visit saves rework. Chainage was built for exactly this:
- Find the chainages: tap the start and end of the works on the map, or search the road and enter a chainage, to get the section, carriageway and coordinates.
- Check the conditions: the result card shows the nearest surveyed TMR speed sign, the traffic volume (AADT) and the heavy vehicle percentage at that point.
- Look at it: open the point in Street View to check sight distance, driveways, side roads, shoulders and where signs can physically stand.
- Draft the layout: save each device position as a point with a map label that matches the TGS (SIGN A1, TAPER 1), and the work area as a chainage range, in a project with a phase for each stage or shift.
- Brief the crew: share the project with the crew and put a QR code on the TGS cover sheet, so they can find each position on their phones. See sharing exact road locations with your crew.
On the day, the set-up crew can use Find my chainage to confirm they're at the right chainage before placing the first sign.
When to use GPS instead of chainage
Chainage is TMR's internal language, and not everyone speaks it. MRTS02's form for requesting police enforcement at a worksite says TMR-specific descriptions such as road number and chainage should be avoided, and asks for GPS coordinates instead. Photo and video records required by MRTS02 also need GPS coordinates in decimal degrees.
So the safe habit is to give both: chainage for TMR and the people building the site, and coordinates (plus a landmark) for everyone else. On council roads, use street addresses and cross streets; TMR chainages only exist on state-controlled roads.
Lead times on TMR contracts
Under MRTS02, a TMP must be submitted at least 21 days before it's implemented, a TGS needing approval at least 14 days ahead, and a TGS submitted for information at least 3 days ahead. Works that disrupt traffic on a state-controlled road also need a Traffic Control Permit, with at least 10 business days allowed. See Road Corridor Permit vs Traffic Control Permit.
This article is general guidance. It doesn't replace the QGTTM and AGTTM, your contract, TMR's requirements or the judgement of an accredited traffic management designer.
Frequently asked questions
Does a TGS have to include chainage in Queensland?
The QGTTM and AGTTM don't prescribe chainage specifically, but a TMP must show the worksite location and a TGS must be dimensioned so a third party can install it. On state-controlled roads, chainage is the most precise way to anchor those dimensions, and AGTTM Part 6 lists it among the ways field staff locate the work area.
What is the difference between a TMP and a TGS?
A traffic management plan (TMP) is the document covering all the essential traffic management matters for the works. A traffic guidance scheme (TGS) is the arrangement of temporary traffic control devices for a particular site, usually shown as a diagram.
Which way does chainage increase?
In the gazettal direction of the road section, for example Brisbane to Gympie on Bruce Highway section 10A. Traffic travelling against the gazettal direction sees chainage decrease, so its advance warning signs sit at higher chainages than the work area.
Is MUTCD Part 3 still used in Queensland?
Yes. TMR harmonised MUTCD Part 3 with the national approach and it remains current alongside the QGTTM, which contains Queensland's departures from the Austroads AGTTM.
How far ahead must a TMP be submitted on a TMR contract?
MRTS02 requires a TMP at least 21 days before implementation, a TGS for approval at least 14 days ahead and a TGS for information at least 3 days ahead. Check your contract for any changes.
Sources
- TMR, Queensland Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (QGTTM).
- TMR, Temporary Traffic Management and the November 2025 TTM update.
- Austroads, Guide to Temporary Traffic Management: Part 1, Part 2, Part 6 and Part 8.
- TMR, Guideline: Traffic Management at Works on Roads (March 2025).
- TMR, MRTS02 Provision for Traffic (November 2025).
- TMR, Traffic Management Registration Scheme.