LITTLE ROCK | April 8, 2022

National Work Zone Awareness Week (WZAW) is April 11-15 and the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) is pleading for drivers to slow down in work zones.

This national safety campaign is observed each spring, the traditional start of construction season, to encourage safe driving through highway work zones. This year’s national theme is: “Work Zones are a Sign to Slow Down.”

“This year’s theme aligns well with our ongoing Slow Down, Phone Down work zone safety campaign, which was launched in February of this year,” said ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor. “We hope to educate the public on the vulnerabilities of both workers and drivers within a work zone. We want to keep everyone safe.”

When traveling through a work zone, plan ahead if you can, minimize distractions, look out for workers, check your speed, be careful around large vehicles, be prepared for sudden stops, read the signs, and do your part so everyone can make it home safely at the end of the day.

Thank you to Governor Asa Hutchinson, who signed a proclamation designating April 11-15 as WZAW in Arkansas (see attached). 

The Junction Bridge, Main Street Bridge, Clinton Presidential Park Bridge, Big Dam Bridge, Two Rivers Park Bridge, Union Plaza Building, and Simmons Bank Building in Little Rock and the Arkansas Heart Hospital in Saline County all will be lit orange in observance of WZAW.

Throughout the week, we will feature ARDOT construction workers on social media reminding drivers why it is so important that we all promote work zone safety.

National Work Zone Awareness Week was formed by the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (ASHTO), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). seeking to educate the public on the vulnerabilities of both workers and drivers within a work zone.