LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Tuesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer visited the M-59 Hall Rd. Rebuilding Michigan project in Clinton Township for a National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week event.
The purpose of the event is to encourage drivers to exercise caution in work zones as workers begin the construction season to repair thestate’s roads and bridges. She was joined by Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel. 
“We must all do our part to keep the roads safe for our workers during this construction season,” Governor Whitmer said. “Stay alert in construction zones, follow all posted signs, and slow down to protect our construction workers and save a life. Orange construction barrels are a positive sign that we’re fixing the roads, but they are also a reminder to exercise caution.”
National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is an annual event that focuses national attention on worker and motorist safety in work zones. This year marks the 21th anniversary of the first national event, held in Virginia in 2000.
The site where the kick-off event is held now alternates each year from being hosted in the Washington, D.C., area to different locations across the United States.
MDOT hosted the 2021 National Work Zone Awareness Week kick-off event with the theme, “Drive Safe. Work Safe. Save Lives.”
The M-59 project is part of a $63 million Rebuilding Michigan investment that would rebuild and improve approximately 4.5 miles of M-59 from Romeo Plank Road to I-94 and support 800 jobs.
This project is expected to be completed in November 2022.
In January 2020, the State Transportation Commission (STC) authorized MDOT to issue $3.5 billion in bonds over four years to finance infrastructure improvements, under authority granted by the Michigan Constitution and Public Act 51 of 1951.
Funding raised through bond sales will finance new projects throughout the state, and frees up funding already dedicated to those project for other projects, expanding the scope of that work or advancing project schedules.
Further Reading –
- Find more information on National Work Zone Awareness Weed at this link.
