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Press Release -- April 11, 2008
Work Zone Vest Adorns William Penn Statue
Old New Castle --
DelDOT and City of New Castle officials unveiled the "vesting" of the statue of Williams Penn today, teaming up to bring public awareness of work zone safety for state and city workers. New Castle officials were also "vested" with the colorful work zone vests.
The event is part of a public awareness campaign currently underway by DelDOT, which has declared April as Work Zone Safety Awareness Month. The City of New Castle partnered with DelDOT because the campaign will also benefit their employees who also call the work zone their office.
"To show our support of our city and state workers, we wanted to do more than say yes to vesting the William Penn statue, so we agreed to be vested ourselves," said New Castle City Councilman John J. Gaworski, Jr., liaison to the Public Services Department. "We didn't hesitate to join in and support this worthy effort to bring awareness to the dangers of working in and driving through work zones."
New Castle Mayor John F. Klingmeyer, Council President William G. Blest and the entire Council also support the initiative.
The City of New Castle has joined others supporting DelDOT's education effort. The City of Wilmington allowed the vesting of the Caesar Rodney statue, and most recently the Delaware Stadium Corporation allowed the vesting of the statue of baseball legend Judy Johnson at Frawley Stadium.
The "Vesting" of Delaware will continue throughout the month of April, but just where the work zone vest will pop up next will remain a mystery.
"The fact is, we don't even know where or when the vests will appear next," said Darrel Cole, Director of DelDOT Public Relations. "We get ideas from the public and from our own employees, so it keeps us all thinking outside the box. The vest may be on people, it may be on landmarks and it may be on statues."
While the campaign has a bit of humor, it's about keeping roadway workers and motorists safe. "The losses, serious injuries and close calls occur far too often," said DelDOT Secretary Carolann Wicks. "These workers have families to go home to. This campaign helps remind us of the dangers of the work zone for motorists and workers, and we hope the end result will be fewer incidents overall."
Since 1933 DelDOT has lost 32 workers in the line of duty, from bus drivers to maintenance workers. This includes three deaths in 2006, one occurring when a motorist assistance patrol worker who was pulled over to assist a motorist was struck and killed by an inattentive driver. The DelDOT employee was a husband and father of two.
When traveling through a work zone, please pay careful attention to the traffic control devices present.
When you see the "orange and black," please be extra cautious.
Warning signs will let you know what to expect.
Drums or cones will delineate your path of travel.
Flag persons will help direct you along the way.
Slow down and expect the unexpected.
The Work Zone Safety Campaign is the first of a three-part education campaign that will stretch out over the next year. The other components, which will launch later this year, focus on pedestrian and neighborhood safety. This three-pronged education effort is being funded with approximately $500,000 in new federal money that may be used for education purposes. DelDOT's target areas were identified in a September 2006 Strategic Highway Safety Plan, a cooperative multi-agency plan for improving safety and reducing fatalities on Delaware's highways. The goals of this campaign are to save lives ... motorists, pedestrians and the men and women who work at and for DelDOT. RT&E Integrated Communications of Wilmington is working with DelDOT on the campaign.
For more information contact DelDOT Public Relations, at (302) 760-2080.
"Hey! We're working here!"
April is Delaware's Work Zone Safety Awareness Month
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