Warning sign · MUTCD W5-2
Narrow Bridge
A bridge ahead is narrower than the road leading to it. Lanes are tight and there may be little or no shoulder on the bridge.
- Shape
- Diamond
- Color
- Yellow background, two black parallel lines flaring outward at both ends
What to do
Slow down before the bridge and keep to the center of your lane. Do not pass on the bridge, and if a wide truck is coming the other way, be ready to slow further or wait. Watch for ice on the bridge deck in cold weather.
Where you see it
Before bridges or culverts with a roadway narrower than the approach, common on older rural roads.
Test trap
The lines on this sign flare out at both top and bottom, which is how you tell it from Road Narrows, where they simply converge. Bridges also freeze before the road does, so this sign deserves extra respect in winter.
Memory tip: Lines pinched in the middle like a bottleneck — that is the bridge.
Practice question
A yellow diamond sign with two parallel lines that flare outward at both ends means:
- Road widens
- Railroad crossing
- Narrow bridge ahead
- Tunnel
Answer: C. A bridge ahead is narrower than the road; slow down and watch for oncoming traffic.
MUTCD sign meanings (as taught in state driver handbooks)