Work Zone Awareness Week Especially Relevant Along Janesville Road

To help prevent traffic crashes in road construction work zones that injure and kill motorists and workers, Governor Scott Walker has proclaimed the week of April 23-27 as Work Zone Awareness Week in Wisconsin. Generally viewed by most as a ceremonial gesture, Muskego motorists will be faced with the initiative's goals on a daily basis as they commute through downtown.

The proclamation reminds drivers that “work zones often require narrowed lanes, lane shifts, temporary pavements, reduced speeds and night work” and advises that “driving through work zones requires motorists’ utmost attention.”

Lt. Dave Constantineau with the Muskego Police Department, echoed these concerns, reminding drivers "you may not have noticed is that the speed limit on Janesville Rd., from Moorland Rd to Lannon Dr., has been reduced to 25MPH. This is to improve the safety of motorists and the work crews, and will be strictly enforced by the Muskego Police Department."

Ignoring the limit may hit you hard in the pocketbook as well.

"As this area is considered a construction zone, fines will be doubled," Constantineau said. "So give the work crews and yourself a break, and plan ahead. If you know you are going to have to travel through the construction zone, expect delays and leave early to give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. Arriving at your destination early isn’t worth a hefty fine or worse, injuring or killing someone just trying to make your commute safer."

Last year, there were more than 1,700 work zone crashes in Wisconsin that caused eight deaths and nearly 750 injuries, 71 of which were serious, according to preliminary statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).

“Driving through a work zone is challenging under the best of circumstances, but your reaction time and margin for error are reduced significantly if you speed, tailgate or don’t pay attention to rapidly changing traffic situations. Rear-end collisions are the most frequent type of crash in a work zone,” says WisDOT Secretary Mark Gottlieb. “In work zones, workers and equipment often are operating within a few feet of traffic. Although construction workers are at a great risk of being hit, about three out of four people killed in work zone crashes are motorists. Because of the risks to motorists and workers, traffic fines are double in work zones. By preventing work zone crashes, we can make progress toward the goal of zero preventable traffic deaths in Wisconsin.”

Constantineau also said "we will also be aggressively patrolling 'alternate routes,' so watch your speed on those roads as well."