ILLINOIS — Bridges and buildings throughout the state are once again turning orange for National Work Zone Awareness Week and to honor those who have died in work zones as another road construction season gets underway in Illinois and across the country.
“The color orange has come to symbolize that we all can play a role in making work zones safer and driving down the number of fatalities to zero,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “The effort to ‘Go Orange’ each year is gaining momentum. We deeply appreciate the contributions of our partners to help save lives.”
Among the participants that will be turning their lights orange at night:
- Peoria’s Murray Baker Bridge.
- Quincy’s Bayview Bridge.
- Rockford’s Morgan Street Bridge.
- Rockford City Hall.
- Embassy Suites Rockford Riverfront.
- Rock Island’s Centennial St. Bridge.
- Interstate 74 Mississippi River Bridge in the Quad Cities.
In 2020, the most recent year statistics are available, 857 people were killed and 44,000 injured in work zone crashes nationally. Illinois averages almost 6,100 crashes in work zones each year, resulting in 1,600 injuries and 28 deaths. More than 9 out of 10 deaths are someone other than a worker, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
Visit IDOT’s Work Zone page for more information.