NYC DOT Urges New Yorkers to Slow Down and Protect Road Workers During National Work Zone Awareness Week

NEW YORK – New York City departments came together Wednesday to celebrate National Work Zone Awareness Week, which takes place April 15-19, to remind New Yorkers how to protect workers on the roads.

As the annual construction season begins, the New York City Department of Transportation is asking all New Yorkers to slow down and protect the safety of road workers. Wednesday’s event was held at a Department of Transportation repair site in a residential section of Bushwick, Brooklyn.

“Just as our crews work hard to make our roads and bridges safe, we’re asking New Yorkers to help keep our crews safe by taking extra care when driving through work zones,” said New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodríguez. “Treat our employees as if they were members of your own family: slow down, drive carefully and be polite.”

The New York Department of Transportation had 12 work areas attacked last year, six of which resulted in injuries. In total, 51 New York City workers have been injured in work zone incidents since 2009 and five have died from work zone related incidents over the past 21 years. This year alone, the city has experienced three work zone violations, including two on Richmond Hill Road in Staten Island just last week.

Throughout the year, NYC DOT maintains its commitment to employees through comprehensive on-the-job training provided by the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) and E-PRO Safety Solutions, ongoing workplace safety assessments and improvements on fleet equipment, such as backup systems. cameras and retroreflective indicators.

In addition to its employee education and training efforts, NYC DOT places a strong emphasis on its external public awareness campaigns. This season, the campaign will focus on digital ads and social media to emphasize the importance of safety in work areas.

NYC DOT also announced a pilot for concrete crews across the city to install ADA-compliant walls when constructing pedestrian ramps. These walls provide additional protection for work crews and, together with barrels, enable disabled pedestrians to move around the area. They are used as an alternative to Strongwall barricades, which are currently used in our high foot traffic work areas.