The Colorado Department of Transportation urged drivers on April 20 to slow down and stay alert in work zones as part of National Work Zone Awareness Week, observed from April 20 to 24. The campaign’s theme this year is “Safe Actions Save Lives,” highlighting the importance of protecting road crews and motorists.
Work zones are essential for maintaining and improving Colorado’s roads, but they also pose significant risks. In 2025, there were nine fatalities and 548 injuries in construction and maintenance work zones across the state. Speeding remains the most common factor in fatal crashes statewide, a risk heightened in areas with narrow lanes or shifting traffic patterns.
The issue is personal for CDOT staff. On Sept. 4, 2024, two maintainers—Trent C. Umberger and Nate Jones—were killed when a vehicle left the pavement and struck them while they worked roadside near Grand Junction. Their deaths bring the total number of CDOT employees lost in work zones since 1929 to sixty-four. A special commemoration will be held by CDOT’s regional team at the site of this incident.
“Every day, our crews and contractor partners work just feet away from live traffic to keep Colorado’s roads safe and reliable,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “Every name etched on our memorial rock represents a life lost – a colleague, a friend, a member of our CDOT family. National Work Zone Awareness Week is an important reminder that when drivers slow down and pay attention, they help ensure these workers can return home safely at the end of the day.”
Nationally, total work zone crashes increased between 2022 and 2023 according to available data; however, fatal crashes decreased slightly during that time period. Four out of five fatalities in these incidents are motorists or passengers rather than workers themselves. In Colorado specifically, there was a decrease of seventy percent in fatalities from such crashes between 2024 and 2025.
To address ongoing dangers on roadways under construction or repair, CDOT launched its Speed Enforcement Program last year using automated cameras to identify vehicles exceeding speed limits by ten miles per hour or more within active construction areas—a move expected to reduce related deaths by up to thirty-seven percent.
According to the official website, the Colorado Department of Transportation works toward integrated transportation solutions that improve quality of life for residents throughout Colorado while overseeing infrastructure including highways as well as supporting aviation and transit projects across the state.
