Working in road construction zones has never been easy but it got worse in 2022 and those on the frontlines are asking drivers to slow down and pay attention as this construction season starts.
“It’s scary … in work zones today,” said Gerrad Godley, construction manager for the Genesee County Road Commission. “It’s only getting worse it seems. In my 25 years in construction, I haven’t seen anything like I saw last year.”
Speaking during a news conference on Monday, April 17, Godley said just last year, laborers, contractors and inspectors were threatened with guns, watched drivers ignore signs, and faced wrong-way traffic on jobs around the county.
The last work zone fatality in the county occurred in 2006 when Dennis Bundy of Flushing was killed while working for the Road Commission on a routine engineering operation on M-15 in Atlas Township.
Bundy, 48, was hit by a sport-utility vehicle driven by a man with a revoked license, according to Flint Journal files.
The county’s news conference kicked off National Work Zone Awareness Week, an annual event aimed at improving work zone safety.
According to the Michigan State Police, 16 people — 13 of them drivers — were killed in construction zones around the state in 2022.
“Road commissions do everything we can to train our employees and make sure that work zones are as safe as possible, but in reality, it’s everyone’s responsibility to keep work zones safe,” said Kylie Dontje, GCRC communications coordinator. “Part of our mission at the Road Commission is to keep the roads safe for drivers in Genesee County. Please help us achieve that goal by slowing down and removing distractions the next time you see orange barrels.”
Two state representatives at Monday’s news conference said that there is too much distracted driving and too little respect for road workers.
State Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden, is cosponsoring two bills that would allow MSP and the state Department of Transportation to implement automated speeding cameras in work zones.
“A lot of people — especially on my side — are worried about Big Brother and this and that,” Mueller said. “I tell them, it’s not about Big Brother and government overreach. It’s about safety.”
State Rep. John Cherry, D-Flint, said he is supporting bills that increase safety in work zones, including legislation that calls for increased use of concrete barriers to protect workers.
“Respect the folks who are doing the job,” Cherry said. “Make sure you’re slowing down (and) that you’re not using your phone when you go forward through that construction zone.”
This article originally appeared in MLive. For more, click here.