A fleet of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Kentucky State Police and other agency vehicles will parade south on US 23 from Greenup to Floyd County on Monday, April 6, calling for increased safety for the maintenance and construction workers who repair and pave our roads.

The rally is part of National Work Zone Safety Week undertaken each year by federal authorities, state governments and the transportation industry.

“We hope it will be a reminder that thousands of highway workers will be out in force this year, and that their lives are in our hands,” said Boyd Sigler, director of highway safety programs for the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety. “Work zone safety is a concern for everyone on the road.”

Kentucky Department of Highways districts employ dozens of men and women in each county to clear ditches, remove snow from roads, patch potholes, repair bridges and guardrails, install traffic signs and signals, and much more – every season of the year.

In addition, state contractors are already working in several areas – Rock Crusher Curve on US 60 in Olive Hill, KY 519 in Morehead and KY 32 in Flemingsburg – and more projects, including new blacktop and new bridges, will get under way this summer.

No matter what job they do, all these workers face the same dangers alongside busy highways.

More than 40,000 people are injured yearly in work zones and nearly a thousand are killed. Three fatalities and 108 injuries were recorded last year in work zones across the commonwealth.

The Work Zone Safety Road Rally will begin 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Kentucky Department of Highways District 9’s Greenup County Maintenance Facility on US 23. From there, the caravan will travel to Ashland for a 10:30 a.m. press conference.

Other stops include destinations in Kentucky Department of Highways District 12 – at The Castle at the junction of US 23 and KY 32 and at the weigh station located at the Johnson-Floyd county line, which also features a press conference.

At each stop, Transportation Cabinet crews and other officials will discuss work zone safety issues with the press and public.

Information at these events will include:

Facts – Statistics and first-hand accounts from speakers such as Sigler and highway crew members.

Brochures – Tips for motorists provided by the Federal Highway Administration.

Projects – A list of this year’s upcoming work zones, such as paving or new highway construction.