Every year, as we begin another highway construction season, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) joins with other government agencies, states and safety organizations for National Work Zone Awareness Week, which ran April 20-24 this year.
We do this to raise awareness of the role we all play in preventing work zone injuries and fatalities.
Work zones are risky for workers and motorists
Highway work zones are extremely dangerous. Imagine waiting on customers in a confined space along the side of a busy road. Imagine you had to share your cubicle with heavy machinery. Imagine your office was in close proximity to high-speed traffic. This is the environment NYSDOT maintenance and construction crews work in daily.
Work zones may change risks for motorists due to narrow roadways, reduced visibility and lane shifts or detours. Speed, distracted driving, and impairment further increase the likelihood of crashes, injuries and fatalities. In 2024, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speed was a contributing factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities nationwide and more than 3,200 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers.
In 2025, there were 366 work zone crashes on NYSDOT-owned roads that resulted in 58 injuries and two fatalities.
Sadly, three of those injured workers were part of a five-person NYSDOT bridge maintenance crew working along State Route 36 in Hornell.
I will never forget the day I rushed to two hospitals to visit these workers. I will never forget sitting with their families as we comforted each other. I will never forget looking these workers and our entire NYSDOT family in the eye and trying to make sense of something that was 100% preventable.
Every highway worker is performing a valuable public service to keep our roads safe. They have families, friends, plans for the weekend and dreams for their futures. Each one deserves, like we all do, to get home safe at the end of a long day.
Keeping workers and motorists safe is a shared responsibility
This year’s National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week theme is “Safe Actions Save Lives.” At NYSDOT, we’re doing our part: At the beginning of every shift, workers are reminded to be aware of their surroundings, keep their head on a swivel and watch out for each other. Highway workers wear highly visible personal protective equipment at all times and work zones are surrounded with concrete or bright orange barriers. Every worker undergoes extensive training before operating any piece of equipment.
How can motorists help? It’s easier than you think.
Slow down. Stay alert. Focus only on the road.
Frankly, we should do this any time we’re driving, but in work zones it’s especially important to pay attention, adjust our speed and move over. This isn’t just common sense, it’s the law.
I also encourage motorists to pay attention to electronic message signs placed within work zones and to use 511ny.org for real-time traffic and construction updates.
In addition, New York has several legal tools at its disposal to enforce work zone safety, including automated work zone speed enforcement and the state’s Move Over law. While I wish we didn’t need laws to help protect the public servants I have the privilege of working with, I’m grateful to have them.
Let’s make 2026 the year we put safety first, not only during National Work Zone Awareness Week but every week, so that workers, drivers and passengers will all get home safely.
— Brian Kelly, Regional Director, New York State Department of Transportation, Region 6
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Let’s all do our part to keep highway workers safe | Guest Viewpoint
Reporting by Brian Kelly, Guest Viewpoint / The Evening Tribune
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