Thanks to the infrastructure funding bill, badly needed improvements to the nation’s roadways and bridges will be underway in large numbers next year. This work brings with it a corresponding increase in construction work zones, which demand caution from drivers passing through.
Already, there have been an estimated 29,000 new U.S. improvement projects jump-started since passage of the legislation last year, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. While good for the nation’s infrastructure, this surge arrives at a time when fatal crashes in work zones have already been on the rise. In 2011, there were 590 work zone fatalities recorded nationally, said Bradley Sant, ARTBA’s senior vice president of safety and education. By 2020, there were 857 work zone fatalities.
