Illinois goes orange for Work Zone Awareness Week

Bridges and buildings throughout the state will be turning orange this week to honor those who have died in work zones and to raise awareness as the Illinois Department of Transportation signals the start of another construction season. 

To coincide with the national campaign held each spring, Gov. JB Pritzker has proclaimed April 26-30 as Work Zone Safety Awareness Week in Illinois.

“Seeing orange is a powerful reminder that all crashes, injuries and deaths, not just those in work zones, are almost always avoidable,” said acting Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Omer Osman.

“We are grateful to the organizations that are taking part in this effort to ‘Go Orange’ and help IDOT and its partners drive the number of fatalities to the only acceptable number: zero.”

In 2019, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 842 people were killed and 39,100 injured in work zone crashes nationally. 

Illinois averages 6,400 crashes in work zones each year, resulting in 1,700 injuries and 34 deaths. More than nine out of 10 deaths are someone other than a worker, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists.

 

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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