Statewide Campaign to Protect Workers
In Highway Work Zones Expands Efforts
ALBANY—Transportation advocates and officials kicked off National Work Zone Awareness Week, a week-long campaign running April 20 to April 24 to promote programs statewide that are urging drivers to slow down, stay alert and follow New York State’s Move Over Law to protect highway and roadside workers. This year’s national theme is “Safe Actions Save Lives.”
“Every roadside worker deserves to return home safely at the end of their shift,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “The number of intrusions into work zones is alarming and shows that too many drivers are still ignoring the law and putting lives at risk. Work zones are active job sites, and a driver’s impatience or distraction can have life-altering consequences. That’s why we are pushing for stronger enforcement and tougher penalties for repeat offenders, and why I’m urging every driver to slow down, stay alert and respect the people working just feet away from live traffic. Safe actions behind the wheel truly save lives.”
Despite years of progress, work zones remain among the most dangerous places on New York’s roadways. After three straight years of decline, work zone crashes on the New York State Thruway surged in 2025 to their highest level since 2020, with 228 crashes leading to 28 injuries. These incidents are primarily caused by speeding, distracted driving, following too closely, unsafe lane changes and failure to obey warning signs and flagger instructions—behaviors that place both workers and motorists at risk, state officials noted.
To reinforce the impact of work zone crashes, the New York State Thruway Authority is launching a work zone safety public service announcement titled, “Help Us Get Home.” The PSA features Thruway maintenance staff from across the state speaking directly to drivers about the risks they face every day while maintaining and repairing New York’s highways. The campaign underscores a simple but powerful message: every worker in a hard hat is also a parent, spouse, neighbor or friend, and each one deserves to return home safely at the end of the day.
The New York State Department of Transportation is also launching a statewide public education campaign to remind motorists that their driving choices in work zones have real-world consequences. Motorists who choose to speed or drive distracted in highway work zones risk the lives of road workers and themselves. The campaign, encouraging motorists to slow down, pay attention and move over in work zones, includes advertisements on social media, streaming audio and video, broadcast radio, billboards and bus tails, as well as at gas stations.
The State Department of Transportation has lost 59 workers in the line of duty over the course of its history. In 2025, there were 366 work zone crashes on NYSDOT-owned roads that resulted in 58 injuries and two fatalities. Robert Bornt, a NYSDOT highway maintenance worker, lost his life on May 30, 2025, after being struck by a vehicle while working along State Route 7. The public education campaign is dedicated to Mr. Bornt’s memory and to all those who have been senselessly killed while doing their jobs to make roads safer for the traveling public.
John Cooney Jr., executive director of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc., said, “Work zones aren’t just part of the commute; they’re someone’s workplace, and right now they’re still far too dangerous. The recent spike in crashes is a reminder that everyday driving habits—like speeding, checking your phone, or not paying attention to signs—can have serious consequences in these areas. Behind every cone and every hard hat is a real person, someone with a family waiting for them at home. At the Construction Industry Council, we’re asking drivers to take that extra second, slow down and stay focused. It’s a small change that can make a life-saving difference and help ensure everyone gets home safely at the end of the day.”
Beginning with National Work Zone Awareness Week and continuing throughout the spring and summer months, New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies will again conduct “Operation Hardhat” details in active Thruway and New York State Department of Transportation work zones statewide.
Published: April 21, 2026