To increase safety in work zones, MoDOT starts Operation Orange

Starting Monday, those driving around Cape Girardeau after dark may notice a strange orange glow emanating from several buildings and structures.

The Missouri Department of Transportation hopes the orange lights twinkling on the Mississippi River, lining the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, will give drivers enough pause to make them slow down the next time they come across the same color in a work zone.

The lights are part of a weeklong public awareness initiative from April 7 to 11 called Operation Orange. As part of National Work Zone Safety Awareness week, the safety initiative is designed to raise awareness of those who have lost their lives working construction zones.

Last year, Operation Orange was conducted in St. Louis, with a moderate degree of success, but it's even bigger this year, said MoDOT spokeswoman Sandy Hentges.

"I think a lot of people noticed that a lot of unusual things were orange, like the fountain and the Ferris wheel in St. Louis," Hentges said.

The size of the initiative has doubled since last year, with counties across Missouri participating.

The city of Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau Central High School and the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center have agreed to turn all outdoor lighting orange during the safety campaign, as have the Missouri State Highway Patrol and MoDOT offices in Sikeston.

Traffic moved around MoDOT workers trimming trees Tuesday along U.S. 61 near Jackson City Park.

Drury Southwest billboards along Interstate 55 will also boast an orange lighted glow during the public awareness campaign, according to MoDOT.

"One of the biggest things we look at is the numbers of people injured in work zones," said Lt. John Hotz, spokesman for the highway patrol in Jefferson City.

In 2006, before the start of Operation Orange, 19 people were killed in construction zones and 1,193 were injured in 3,426 work zone-related crashes, Hotz said.

In 2007, those numbers fell dramatically, with six fatalities and 782 injured in 2,399 accidents in construction zones, he said.

A top priority of the highway patrol has always been safety in work zones, which are heavily patrolled, he said. As warm weather approaches, safety in work zones becomes increasingly important as more road repairs occur.

The leading causes of work zone-related accidents are high speed and inattention, Hotz said.

"If you're traveling down the road and you see a sign, its very important to keep in mind that there will have to be a reduction in speed," Hotz said. Staying alert through work zones for possible lane shifts or closures is also crucial, he said.

Narrowed lanes mean that drivers passing through work zones often have little room to maneuver and limited time to react in order to avoid a collision, according to the highway patrol.

"Driving is a full-time job," said Col. James F. Keathley, superintendent of the highway patrol.

The highway patrol will continue to hold special enforcement projects throughout 2008 to focus on safety in construction areas, Keathley said.

At 8:30 p.m. Monday, Cape Girardeau will hold a lighting ceremony to remember those killed in construction zones. The ceremony will be at the Mississippi River scenic overlook at the site of the old bridge.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245

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