Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


With the mild winter, orange cones and work zones have been in place all season. Now with spring in the air, road work will be ramping up again and more crews will mobilize to fix roads and bridges.

National Work Zone Awareness Week kicks off next week with the message for every motorist, “Work zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever.”

An event this coming Monday will honor the workers, motorists, and families of those killed in work zones this past year and will feature speakers from public agencies and transportation organizations.

In Michigan in 2023, preliminary work zone crash statistics show there were 7,237 work zone crashes, 17 fatal work zone crashes, 20 work zone fatalities (two were road workers), and 1,896 work zone injuries - 108 of which involved serious injuries.

Safety experts throughout Michigan will come together in Midland, home of the Great Lakes Loons, to discuss challenges, best practices, and solutions for work zone safety.

Officials from the Michigan State Police, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the American Traffic Safety Services Association, the Dow Chemical Co., the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, and the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association will speak about worker and motorist safety, and the issues encountered in work zones.

The nationwide Toward Zero Deaths safety campaign aims to eliminate fatalities on roads, raise awareness and further improve road safety for all workers, drivers and passengers.

As part of the campaign, people are encouraged to “Go Orange” next Wednesday, April 17th. In an effort to create awareness and show support for each work zone crew, people can "Go Orange" at home or in the field and share a photo on social media of themselves or their team wearing orange using hashtags #Orange4Safety, #GoOrangeDay and #NWZAW.