By Dylan Roberts
Road construction might be the most common pet peeve for drivers in Utah, but the state is encouraging Utahns to salute those working on the roads this week.
Officials from the Utah Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and Utah Highway Patrol gathered Monday, Apr. 3, 2006, to celebrate National Work Zone Awareness Week, which lasts from April 3 to April 9.
?Construction work zones are where hundreds of Utahns work to improve and expand Utah?s transportation,? said UDOT Deputy Director Carlos Braceras. ?These men and women risk injury every day as people drive through their work zones.?
UDOT spokeswoman, Bethany Eller said over the last five years, the number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in work zones has risen from 872 in 1999 to 1,028 in 2003. In 2004 there were 1,026 work zone accidents in Utah. Nationwide, 40,000 people are injured each year as a result of motor vehicle crash in work zones. In Utah there were three fatal work zone accidents in 2004.
?Eighty-five percent of those killed in work zone-related accidents are actually drivers or passengers, not workers,? said Eller.
?There are many good reasons to slow down and give work zone driving your most concentrated attention, courtesy to the hard-working people behind the traffic cones should be an obvious one,? said Walter Waidelich, FHWA Utah division administrator. ?But perhaps the most significant reason is that your life, and those of your passengers, depend on driving safely through the conditions.?
Eller said work zone fatalities are rising across the United States. In 2004, 1,068 Americans died in work zone accidents.
Utah will be undertaking 12 state roadwork projects in 2006. These projects include construction on commonly used roads in the state. Bangerter Highway, Redwood Road, Legacy Parkway, U.S. Highway 189, U.S. Interstate 15 in Spanish Fork, I-15 in Nephi, U.S. 191 at Flaming Gorge, St. George Boulevard, Moab Main Street, I-15 North Ogden to Farr West and U.S. 89 in Logan Canyon are all projects that UDOT will be working on in 2006. UDOT estimates the total cost for these projects will be 1.15 billion.
The Provo Canyon project will widen the highway to five lanes and should be completed in 2008. Right now, there are periodic 30-minute delays between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
UDOT officials recommended that drivers become familiar with road signs.
?Orange, diamond-shaped warning signs are posted in advance of work zones,? said Eller. ?Drivers should stay alert and not tailgate, the most common accident in work zones is the rear-end collision.?
Eller also recommends drivers only change lanes before or after work zones, avoid changing the radio station or using cell phones in work zones, and plan for possible delays.