Detours, barricades, orange cones, oh my! Anyone who has driven through Arlington has no doubt encountered a construction work zone. The Public Works and Water Utilities Departments are working to make necessary improvements to the City’s transportation and water infrastructure; however, with this progress comes construction work zones. While these work zones may be an inconvenience, they play a vital role in transforming The American Dream City.

Each spring at the start of construction season, the Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the American Traffic Safety Services Association, coordinates and sponsors the National Work Zone Awareness campaign with the goal of educating drivers on how to save lives by avoiding preventable crashes in work zones. The theme for this year’s campaign, which takes place April 15-19, is “Work Zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever.”

Click here to learn more about National Work Zone Awareness campaign.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation most recent data, traffic fatalities in the state’s work zones were down 16% in 2022, decreasing for the first time since 2018. Despite that, 205 people lost their lives and another 788 were seriously injured in Texas work zones in 2022. The vast majority of those killed, 85%, were drivers or their passengers. Click here to view TxDOT Annual Texas motor vehicle crash statistics.

Work zone safety awareness is critical, for both the men and women working on our roadways and drivers passing through the work zones. The tips below are important reminders to help ensure that you and construction crews get home safely each night:

•  Plan Ahead: Check the City’s website and social media, mobile traffic apps, and the radio for the latest traffic information. Leave a few minutes earlier than normal so you can reach your destination on time.
•  Be Patient: Pack your patience for any trip through a work zone and remember that any delay caused by the construction is temporary, even if it feels like it’s permanent.
•  Slow Down: Follow the posted speed limit and proactively adjust your driving to match road conditions. Excessive speed is one of the leading causes of work zone crashes.
•  Avoid Distractions: Distracted driving in a work zone is one of the leading causes of work zone crashed. Avoid distractions, keep your mind on the road and put your phone away.
•  Expect the Unexpected: The area you drove through yesterday may look different today. Normal speeds may be reduced, traffic lanes may be shifted, and people and vehicles may be working on or near the roadway.
•  Don’t Tailgate: Rear-end collisions are the most common kind of work zone crashes. Leave plenty of space between you and the car in front of you to react to the unexpected.
•  Pay Attention to Warning Signs: Pay attention to the information on the diamond-shaped orange warning signs that are posted in advance of work zones.
•  Use the “Take 10” Technique to Change Lanes: A flashing arrow panel or “lane closed ahead” sign means you need to merge as soon as safely possible. Don’t drive all the way up to the lane closure and then cut in. Signal your intent to change lanes for at least three seconds, check your mirrors to ensure it’s safe to change lanes, and use approximately seven seconds to complete the maneuver.
•  Watch out for road crews. Roadside workers want to get home safely, too. Always follow instructions and be mindful of construction area road signs.
•  Obey the Road Crews: A flagger is responsible for controlling traffic in a construction zone and has the same authority as a regulatory sign. Drivers can be cited for failure to obey the flagger’s directions.
•  Don’t Speed or Tailgate: Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you and don’t speed. Give yourself room to stop in a hurry, should traffic stop suddenly. Rear-end collisions are the most common type of work zone crashes.
•  Look Out for Workers and Equipment: Keep a safe distance between your vehicle and traffic barriers, construction workers, and construction equipment. The high visibility clothing, hard hats, and safety boots worn by road crews are all the protection they have in a man vs. vehicle incident.
•  Obey Posted Signs Until You See One That Says You’ve Left the Work Zone: Some work zones are mobile, moving down the roadway as work progresses. Just because workers aren’t immediately visible after a work zone warning sign, doesn’t mean they aren’t out there.

 In addition to increasing work zone awareness, TxDOT would like to remind drivers of the state’s Move Over/Slow Down law that requires drivers to move over one lane or reduce their speed to 20 mph below the posted speed limit when approaching a TxDOT vehicle, emergency vehicle, law enforcement, tow truck, or utility vehicle stopped on the roadside or shoulder with its flashing lights activated.

Traffic fines double in work zones when workers are present and can cost up to $2,000. Failure to heed the Move Over/Slow Down law can also result in a fine of up to $2,000.