As the weather gets nicer, work ramps up for Missouri Department of Transportation crews.
“We want our travelers to get to their destination safely, we want our workers to go home safe and sound,” Dan Niec, a MoDOT district engineer, said.
But that wasn’t the case last Thursday for 55-year-old Lyndon Ebker. A driver struck and killed the MoDOT worker as he was cleaning a bridge in the St. Louis area.
“Getting into the work zone is as important as exiting the work zone,” Scott Banes, a MoDOT maintenance supervisor, said.
Banes knows the dangers of work zones well. Back in 2003, a woman barreled through his zone.
“It sent my arm thru the windshield and knocked the side glass out and ran over my ankle,” Banes said.
That's why during this Work Zone Awareness Week he wants drivers to pay attention and slow down.
The Missouri Highway Patrol is joining the effort.
“it doesn’t mean that we’re out writing a bunch of tickets, but just having our presence and being there just to observe traffic is enough at times,” Sgt. Bill Lowe with the Missouri Highway Patrol said.
Troopers will be stationed throughout the metro including on Interstate 70 near the Lafayette and Saline County lines and Highway 50 near Todd George Road.
“You may not know when we’re going to be out there, but we’re going to be out there,” Lowe said.
Last year there were 61 accidents where someone hit a construction worker or equipment in Missouri.
Fines at work zones do double and in some cases quadruple. If a person hits a worker, they can face a $10,000 ticket among other charges.
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com
