Work Zone Awareness Week kicks off start of construction season

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Work Zone Awareness Week is kicking off the start of construction season.

The Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police, Illinois Tollway, industry partners, local agencies, labor and frontline construction workers are teaming up for National Work Zone Awareness Week and the motto "Safe Actions Save Lives."

Governor JB Pritzker proclaimed April 20-24 as "Work Zone Safety Awareness Week" in Illinois to call attention to the heightened risks of work zones.

Officials are urging the public to be ready for lane closures, reduced speed limits and the presence of workers during construction season.

ISP Director Brendan Kelly said, "Safety is a shared responsibility when driving through road construction work zones. Already in the first three months of 2026, ISP alone has handled 640 crashes in work zones, 91 of which resulted in injuries."

IDOT and its partners are working to make work zones safer. A new initiative starting this week is a data feed to connect with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Work Zone Data Exchange. It will allow providers like Apple, Google, and Waze to more easily access and share information on work zone activities through mapping apps and notification systems in cabs of commercial vehicles.

Other safety measures include expanding the use of photo enforcement vans, coordinating with ISP to assign additional troopers to patrol near construction activities and using temporary rumble strips approaching projects.

Drivers are reminded to buckle seat belts, not drive distracted, obey posted signs, slow down, look out for slowed or stopped traffic, give yourself time to react by not following too closely, and give heavy equipment and commercial vehicles ample space.