SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –Bridges and buildings throughout Illinois are once again turning orange for National Work Zone Awareness Week to honor workers who’ve died in work zones as another construction season gets underway.
Coinciding with the national campaign held each spring, Gov. JB Pritzker has proclaimed April 17-21 as “Work Zone Safety Awareness Week” in Illinois.
“The color orange has come to symbolize that everyone, from the workers in the field on down to the traveling public, can play a role in eliminating work zone crashes and fatalities,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman says. “We deeply appreciate and give thanks to all of our partners who share our goal to make this the safest construction season ever in Illinois.”
The Murray Baker Bridge that spans Peoria to East Peoria will be lit up in orange lights all week at night for “Work Zone Safety Awareness Week”, joining a number of bridges and landmarks across Illinois that are doing so.
(1470 & 100.3 WMBD-Julia Bradley)
Illinois Department of Transportation says says the state averages nearly 6,000 crashes in work zones every year, resulting in more than 1,500 injuries and nearly 29 deaths.
I-DOT says more than nine out of 10 deaths in work zones are someone other than a worker, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
Learn more from I-DOT’s Work Zone Page HERE.
