Clare Welcome Center hosts memorial for workers’ zone – The Morning Sun

An MDOT exhibit featured at the 2022 National Work Zone Awareness Week event. (Photo courtesy of MDOT Photography Unit)

For the third consecutive year, the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Clare Welcome Center will host the National Work Zone Memorial during the Fourth of July holiday week.

The memorial, on display at the Clare Welcome Center through July 7, honors the lives of more than 1,600 road workers, motorists, pedestrians, police officers, public safety officials and children who died in work zone accidents across the United States, according to Courtney Bates, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Nearly 2.6 million Michigan residents are expected to travel the week of July 4, continuing the busy summer travel season.

As motorists take to the road for summer fun, they may notice an increase in roadworks and orange bins.

After years of underinvestment, Michigan’s roads and bridges are finally getting long-awaited and needed improvements. With the “summer of the orange bin” well underway, MDOT is asking drivers to be patient, slow down and drive with caution, especially near construction sites, Bates said.

Work zone safety remains MDOT’s highest priority, not only for workers but also for motorists traveling through work zones. Preliminary numbers indicate that in 2023, there were 20 deaths, 1,896 injuries and nearly 7,237 total crashes in Michigan work zones. Nationally, the number of work zone deaths is estimated at more than 890, Bates said.

Dedicated in 2002 by the American Traffic Safety Services (ATSS) Foundation, the National Work Zone Memorial is a living tribute to the lives lost in work zones.

As it travels across the United States, the memorial is designed to raise awareness of work zone safety and safe driving practices by displaying the names of those who died in work zone accidents.

The monument is 20 feet wide and 7 feet tall and is available to anyone interested in increasing safety awareness in work areas. A new virtual monument is also available free of charge.

The Michigan Chapter of the American Traffic Safety Services Association is sponsoring the memorial service, which will be held June 27-July 7 at the Clare Welcome Center.