National Work Zone Awareness Week

As spring speeds into summer, officials with the Tennessee Department of Transportation have sent out a reminder to motorists not to speed through construction and work zones. This is National Work Zone Awareness Week. It’s a week in which officials work to remind residents to slow down and pay close attention to work zones and interstate alert boards. TDOT officials hope to use this time to improve safety in Tennessee’s interstate and highway construction and maintenance work zones. “We are heading into the busiest construction time of the year, and there will be hundreds of active work zones across Tennessee,” said TDOT Commissioner John Schroer. “Reducing speeds, staying alert and exercising caution is the best way to ensure workers and motorists stay safe on our roadways.” During the spring and summer months more highway workers will be on the roads, repairing and maintaining Tennessee’s interstate, bridges and rural roadways. According to officials in 2011, 15 people died in work zones crashes, two of those were TDOT workers.