As the weather continues to warm up, more and more construction zones will pop up on central Illinois roads. Workers said they just want to get home safely.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - This week is Work Zone Awareness Week. IDOT is using it to remind drivers that "Safe Actions Save Lives."

As the weather continues to warm up, more and more construction zones will pop up on central Illinois roads. Workers said they just want to get home safely.

"When you're in these work zones, I see it all the time, people are on their cell phones, people are using their GPS, all that," said Bobby Johnson, an area highway maintainer. "It makes it real dangerous out there for us."

IDOT Secretary Gia Biagi said of the workers, "The people you pass who are working on equipment, they're behind the cones, they are somebody's father. That's somebody's mother, that's somebody's sister, that's somebody's kid. These are people just like you [who] are working in those work zones, and they would like to get home safely."

They are asking you to slow down, move over and pay attention whenever you cross into road construction zones.

Harper Stork, a nine-year-old whose dad works as an operations supervisor, often works in work zones.

"I love my dad. I want him and all of the people he works with, first responders and motorists, to make it home safely at the end of the day," Stork said. 

Work zone crashes can be deadly. In 2025, 35 people died. All of them were drivers or passengers. From 2020 to 2024, nine workers and 128 drivers/passengers were killed in construction zones.

Illinois State Police said that if you don't slow down and move over, or if you're distracted, there will be consequences.

"We will take action against those who choose to disregard the law," ISP Captain Josh Adcock said. "If you fail to move over and slow down in Illinois, you will get a ticket. We will not tolerate reckless behavior."

Adcock added that ISP has already responded to 640 work zone crashes in the state this year.

There are multiple major Springfield Area work zones announced, including those on Dirksen Parkway, Illinois 54, the Illinois 97 Expressway and Sixth Street.

"Go Orange Day" will be Wednesday, April 22. You can wear orange to support road worker safety.

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