The federal and state governments have set aside this week as Work Zone Awareness Week as part of efforts to prevent traffic crashes, deaths and injuries in construction and maintenance areas along roadways.
Drivers are asked to stay alert in work areas, which include major highway construction and rolling maintenance operations as well as emergency response, municipal projects and utility work along local roads.
DOT spokesperson Kristin McHugh says last year there were many crashes in Wisconsin road work zones...
"In 2017 there were more than 2,700 crashes in work zones, which included more than a thousand injuries and six fatalities...."
McHugh says it's important to keep your eyes on the road...
"...eliminate distractions. That could be all kinds of things. You want to have both hands on the wheel, you want to be looking straight ahead, you want to be looking for those signs. Is there a speed limit reduction? Are there signs that you need to move over? Are you paying attention to the cars that are in front of you?...."
McHugh says the point of slowing down and being alert in work zones is to keep workers close to traffic as safe as possible. Also officers from the Wisconsin State Patrol and other law enforcement agencies will be deployed in work zones to enforce speed limits and other traffic laws.
