ST. LOUIS – MoDOT is getting a head start on a national push to raise awareness for more caution in work zones.
District Engineer Tom Blair says his agency has around 100 work zones across the St. Louis area, and they’re preparing for National Work Zone Awareness Week.
“We’re taking extra safety measures; we’re communicating through all different channels,” he said. “We have lots of active social media, we have lots of signs out there to inform everybody of all the different work zones…you have a job as a driver to be attentive to those messages to slow down (and) drive safely through the work zones.”
Blair says the work zone safety effort is a matter of life and death. Since 2000, 35 MoDOT employees have been killed while working, 16 of those taking place in work zones.
“In 2024, we’re going to have work zones on almost every major highway throughout the St. Louis region. So, you, as a motorist, need to buckle up, slow down, be attentive to those work zones so that you can get to your destination safely and all the men and women out there…can also get home safely,” Blair said.
The biggest area of concern is at U.S. Highway 270 and U.S. Highway 64, as MoDOT has a responsibility to replace bridges over Conway Road, according to Blair.
National Work Zone Awareness Week is April 15 – April 19. St. Louis officials will kick off the effort on April 16.
