Fuel for Thought

Road Construction

Road construction workers have a dangerous job. They often work with large equipment near traffic of varying speeds with drivers who are frequently distracted. There is little debate on these facts, however, to all the road construction crews out there, the following is for you.

We get it, you want a work environment that is as safe as it can be given the nature of the job. Usually you give us motorists ample warning of the upcoming construction zone(s) along with sufficient posted instructions of what we should expect. Lane closures come with a fair amount of warning. Reduced speed limits are generally clearly posted. You definitely put out plenty of signs, barrels, cones, temporary stripes and barriers. Those of us who consider the worker’s safety in the upcoming work zone will make the necessary reductions in speed and required lane changes. Of course there are always those drivers who rarely heed the warnings (I’m sure you see many of them everyday). 

For those of us who adhere to the work zone signage, I’d like to ask you to do your due diligence to help us help you have a safer work zone. Many times, more often than should be, the signage for a lane closure, let’s say the right lane closed sign, will be incorrect, and the left lane is actually closed. Or vice versa. This causes motorist confusion and creates more driver interaction to correctly move through the work zone safely. Then there are the flashing speed limit signs, the ones to indicate an active work zone speed limit or workers present. If you never turn them off when there are no workers present you are telling the motorists not to trust the signage. The same goes for posting a lane closure but when you left for the day, you didn’t cover or remove the signs after reopening the lane. We try to abide by the work zone postings, but when you encounter so many that warn you of a nonexistent workzone, it breeds doubt in the driver’s mind as to whether the next one will actually be correct. And let’s not forget the unmarked end of a work zone. If you do not do your part to correctly post necessary information for drivers, how can you get upset if we can not proceed accordingly? Why is the onus of your safety our responsibility if you willfully neglect to give us proper information? I say again, help us help you to have a safer work environment by properly communicating with the drivers. As I pass through your job sites, I see that everyone wears their PPE. Everyone. Everytime. Use that same diligence with your signage. Make sure it is correct for the current road repairs. Make sure to post the correct lane closure. And turn out the lights when you leave. Oh, and as you leave, make sure there is some kind of signage to mark the end of the work zone.

For Pete’s sake, there always seems to be plenty of extra people milling about your work zones, have one or two of them make sure the signs are correct and we can all have safer days on the roads.

From all the drivers out here, we thank you for repairing the roads we use daily. I and many other professional drivers will err on the side of caution in your work zones, but there are many others who do not. 

Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better. 

 - Martin Luther King, Jr.

See you down the road,

Greg