AMES, Iowa – April 21, 2025 – The Iowa Department of Transportation is observing National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) April 21-25 featuring this year’s theme of “Respect The Zone So We All Get Home.” This is the 26th anniversary of the awareness campaign to help the public understand their role in keeping motorists and roadway workers safe.
Work zone safety has always been a high priority at the Iowa DOT, which coordinates several hundred road and bridge construction and repair work sites statewide on an annual basis. The significance of safe travel through work zones resonated deeply last year when a work zone tragedy took the life of a DOT staff member.
On May 16, 2024, Matt Dickerson, a maintenance employee at the Neola Garage, was fatally injured when he was struck by a motorist in a work zone on I-80 near Council Bluffs. Dickerson is one of 19 DOT employees who have been killed in the line of duty in a work zone since 1953.
Several events are planned for the 2025 National Work Zone Awareness Week including:
- Monday, April 21 – Work Zone Safety Training Day – Laying the groundwork for safety through personnel training.
- Tuesday, April 22 – National kickoff event - Hosted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation(NCDOT).
- Wednesday, April 23 – “Go Orange Day” - All roadway safety professionals across the country are encouraged to wear orange to show their support of work zone safety.
- Thursday, April 24 – Social media storm – Traffic safety organizations and the public are urged to share messages and use hashtags #NWZAW and #WorkZoneSafety.
- Friday, April 25 – Moment of Silence – Encouraging the public to join together for a moment of silence as a tribute to 2024 work zone victims including Iowa’s Matt Dickerson.
On a national level, the vast majority of people killed in work zones are motorists or passengers. Statistics from the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse show that in 2022 there were 821 fatal crashes in work zones resulting in 891 deaths including 94 roadway workers who were also killed in work zones that year.
Motorists are urged to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, you should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.
Construction zones can be identified anytime on Iowa 511, the DOT’s travel information system. Visit 511ia.org; call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide); stay connected with 511 on Facebook or Twitter (find links at https://iowadot.gov/511/511-social-media-sites); or download the free app to your mobile device.
It’s easy to subscribe to Your 511 and sign up to receive email/text alerts. Visit https://new.511ia.org/#login to sign up. For instructions and help with this feature, visit https://www.511ia.org/help/section/how-to-create-and-manage-a-511-account.html.
To learn more about NWZAW, visit nwzaw.org.
#
For more information about National Work Zone Awareness Week, please contact Brian Worrel, Work Zone Operations Engineer, Iowa DOT Construction & Materials Bureau, at 515-239-1471 or brian.worrel@iowadot.us.