NDOT Celebrates National Work Zone Awareness Week, Highlights Safe Driving Near Work Zones
Click to see interviews
-Katie Wilson, Executive Director, AGC Nebraska_1
-Bob Hokanson, Paving Superintendent, Hawkins Construction
-Christian Myers, Highway Construction Tech III, District 1, I-80 Pleasant Dale Project Work Zone
April 20, 2026 (Lincoln, Neb.) — The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) is joining other agencies across the country in celebrating National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) from April 20-24. The national effort, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), focuses on encouraging safe driving through construction zones.
This year’s theme for National Work Zone Awareness Week is “Safe Actions Save Lives.” When traveling through work zones, drivers are urged to avoid distractions, reduce speed, and stay alert for roadside workers.
“We’re most of the time working on highways or the interstate and the speeds are 60 miles an hour or more. Having that, and then the general public not always paying attention can make you feel a little unsafe,” said NDOT District 1 Highway Construction Technician III, Christian Myers. “We rely on you guys so that we can make it home at night to see our families.”
According to preliminary data, there have been 34 work zone crashes on Nebraska highways and interstates through January and February of this year. In 2025, preliminary data shows there were 613 crashes in work zones on Nebraska highways and interstates, including one fatal crash and 14 serious injury crashes.
“Work zones are active job sites where real people are working to improve Nebraska’s transportation system, often just feet from moving traffic,” said NDOT Director Vicki Kramer. “Every crash in a work zone is preventable. We are asking all motorists to do their part by slowing down, eliminating distractions, and staying alert so that every worker and driver and worker can make it home safely.”