RALEIGH - Making work zones safe is everyone’s responsibility, state and federal transportation leaders said during a National Work Zone Awareness Week kickoff event hosted Tuesday in Raleigh by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
National and state transportation officials, safety advocates and construction workers gathered at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds Tuesday to highlight work zone safety. NCDOT was selected for the first time to host National Work Zone Awareness Week, which runs from April 21-25.
The annual campaign raises awareness about the important but dangerous job of transportation workers and the responsibility people have to pay attention and drive safely, especially in work zones.
“The safety of our roadway workers and the traveling public is a top priority at NCDOT,” said State Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins. “The dedication of these individuals who work tirelessly on our highways, often near fast-moving traffic, to improve the infrastructure in our state is commendable. Today’s kickoff is a reminder to everyone of their responsibility to reduce driving speed, remain attentive and travel cautiously when approaching a work zone.”
Tuesday’s press event was held in the Kerr Scott Building at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh near the Blue Ridge Road grade separation construction project.
Hopkins said NCDOT has started using new tools to make work zones safer, including connected work zone devices that transmit the location of the work zone to navigation apps like Waze, which give drivers an audible alert when they are approaching a work zone.
“We chose this location because it’s a great illustration of the steps we’re taking to make roads safer for everyone,” Hopkins said. “Safety is critical to all our projects from start to finish. In the work zone on Blue Ridge Road and many others, we’ve used digital messages, road construction signs, flashing arrows, portable traffic signals and automated flagging assistance devices.”
On any given day, North Carolina has about 400 active work zones, which are an essential component of enhancing the state’s transportation network. However, these areas pose significant risks. Preliminary data shows there were more than 6,870 work zone crashes in North Carolina in 2024. Of those, 47 people were killed, including transportation workers, pedestrians and motorists.
Tuesday’s press event also featured a
video message from the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Tuesday also featured remarks from Governor’s Highway Safety Program Director Mark Ezzell and William “BJ” Drewery, an NCDOT roadway inspector who works with transportation contractors in the Rocky Mount area to ensure work zone crews follow federal and state safety guidelines.
“This year’s theme of ‘Respect the zone so we all get home’ is a sobering reminder that our collective goal is to ensure that everyone returns home safely at the end of each day,” Ezzell said. “Through collaborative efforts involving NCDOT, contractors, law enforcement agencies and the public, we can foster safer work zone environments for all.”
As host of this year’s week, NCDOT plans to trumpet the work zone safety message on its social media platforms. The agency also designed a
work zone safety poster and worked with USDOT to distribute it to the nation’s transportation agencies. The agency and others have different themes for each day of National Work Zone Awareness Week:
Today – organizations nationwide will hold work zone safety events. NCDOT and its contracting partners hosted a training event for transportation workers.
April 23 – “Go Orange Day” encourages people to wear orange in support of work zone safety and families of victims killed in work zones. Photos can be shared on social media platforms with the hashtags #NWZAW and #Orange4Safety.
April 24 – NCDOT will use its Facebook, X and other social media platforms to promote work zone safety.
April 25 – A moment of silence will be dedicated to the people killed in work zone incidents.