DelDOT: Safe actions save lives in work zones

Dozens of Delaware Department of Transportation employees and contractors gathered at the Minos Conaway Road construction zone April 20 to kick off National Work Zone Awareness Week.

The event was held to remind drivers that Safe Actions Save Lives.

DelDOT Secretary Shante Hastings said there have been 21 work-zone crashes in the state since 2024, injuring five DelDOT employees and damaging 16 pieces of equipment.

“These incidents are, unfortunately, happening more and more frequently and, the truth us, they are preventable,” Hastings said.

DelDOT officials said there have not been any workers injured at the Minos Conaway site.

Hastings said drivers should remember four simple habits:

• Slow down when you see orange

• Stay alert

• Put the phone down

• Give flashing lights a lane of space.

Pamela Steinbach is the DelDOT director of maintenance and operations. Her 750 employees are responsible for mowing, snow removal and guardrail repair across the state.

She used one example to show how unpredictable the roadside can be.

“A crew was mowing near Milford when a pull-behind trailer detached from a passing vehicle, entered our work area and struck a mower. The driver did not stop,” Steinbach said.

She said they are working with the General Assembly to expand the use of green, flashing lights on their vehicle fleet. Those lights are currently only allowed during winter storm events.

Hastings said DelDOT has been making different decisions than in the past, designed to improve work-zone safety. She said they are using barriers for extra protection and closing roads and bridges if it’s safer and more efficient for workers.

She also pointed to the now-infamous speed camera in the southbound lanes of Route 1, south of Cave Neck Road, as an added layer of speed enforcement. She said the cameras have been proven to reduce speeds and crashes across the country.