NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a recent announcement, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) states it is joining states nationwide to ask motorists to “Work with Us – move over and slow down for highway workers.”
TDOT says it will spread that message statewide during National Work Zone Awareness Week (April 21-25) to improve safety in Tennessee’s interstate and highway construction and maintenance work zones. This year’s theme is “Respect the Zone, So We All Get Home.”
“Work zone safety is a shared responsibility, whether behind the wheel or working on the side of the road,” said Deputy Governor and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley. “We engineer our roads to be as safe as possible, but no amount of engineering can change driver behavior. 113 TDOT workers have been killed in work zones. Let’s work together to ensure everyone makes it home safely.”
The spring and summer months provide perfect weather for highway work. Work zones include major interstate widening projects, repaving, and litter pickup. Motorists will encounter work zones across the state. Last year in Tennessee, 16 people died in work zone crashes. So far this year, there have been 35 incidents in which drivers crashed into TDOT equipment and vehicles, including HELP Trucks. These are secondary work zones where our HELP patrols and other first responders assist motorists.
TDOT launched the Work with Us—Move Over, Slow Down safety campaign in 2017 to raise awareness of the importance of safety in work zones throughout the year. To learn more about the campaign, see answers to frequently asked questions about work zones, and take the Work with Us pledge, click on the Work with Us link below.
TDOT’s overhead Dynamic Message Signs will display work zone safety messages on the interstates in Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. Prominent buildings and bridges will be lit in orange, and “Work with Us—Move Over, Slow Down” signs are posted at work zones across the state.
In 2024, there were 2,318 total crashes, 563 with injuries in work zones on Tennessee roads. Do your part to keep yourself and TDOT road workers safe – check TDOT SmartWay in advance and Know BEFORE You Go, secure your phone in a hands-free device, and Work With Us by moving over and slowing down when you see vehicles with flashing lights.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
