MoDOT
Planning Biggest Construction Season Ever
More
than 1,000 Work Zones
Missouri
motorists will drive through more
work zones than ever this year, because the Missouri Department
of Transportation is planning a record number of improvement projects.
Construction season kicked off April
4-8 with Work Zone Awareness Week.
"This
summer motorists won't be able to go from one good-sized city
to the next without encountering at least one work zone," said
Pete Rahn, MoDOT director . "You'll
see more than 1,000 work zones statewide, due to our new Smoother,
Safer, Sooner program." MoDOT is planning hundreds of additional
projects with funding from the passage of Amendment 3 last November.
MoDOT
reminds motorists that additional work zones mean increased opportunities
for drivers to be distracted. "Please be patient, be careful and
always buckle up," Rahn said.
"While this work will increase delays for now, the improved safety
and driving surface of our roads will be a long-term benefit."
Driver
inattention, excessive speed, drinking or drug use, improper lane
changes or following too closely cause most work-zone crashes.
And it's the motorist who is most likely to be killed or injured
in a work zone crash - though far too many MoDOT employees and
contractors have also lost their lives.
In
2003, 23 motorists died and 1,559 people were injured in work-zone
crashes in Missouri. In 2004, three MoDOT employees were killed
and 69 were injured in work zones. Since 1945, 71 MoDOT workers
have died as a result of work zone crashes.
To
help motorists navigate all these work zones, MoDOT has developed
a new web-based construction map that shows the latest work and
traffic delays. Also new this
year are possible increased fines for traffic violations in work
zones, stiffer penalties for hitting or killing a worker in a
work zone, and a primary seatbelt law, all part of legislation
being considered by the Missouri General Assembly.
"We
hope motorists are patient with us this summer," Rahn said. "
In the grand scheme of things, a few
minutes of inconvenience means years of smoother, safer driving.
The best thing drivers can do for their safety is stay
alert, buckle up, follow signs and remember that 'The Difference
is YOU! Drive Smart.'"
For
more information about construction projects and work zones statewide,
visit www.modot.org or
call 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636).
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