COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine and the heads of the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol announced a new initiative Wednesday to make work zones on Ohio roads and highways safer.
The announcement comes during what's known as the "100 deadliest days of summer" on the roads, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It is also the height of road construction season.
"I've asked the Ohio State Highway Patrol to dedicate more resources to patrolling work zones, and troopers will have no tolerance for reckless drivers," DeWine said. "We're doing this not only to protect road workers but for the safety of all travelers."
DeWine says more troopers will be in cruisers, on motorcycles and in helicopters specifically focusing on bad drivers in work zones. They will be watching for speeding, drunk driving, distracted driving and reckless driving.
"This isn't about writing tickets. It's about simply saving lives," DeWine said. "Our roadworkers deserve the respect of those traveling through construction zones. Just like all of us, they have families waiting for them at home."
DeWine said since 2019, there have been nearly 26,000 work zone crashes. More than 9,000 people have been hurt in those crashes and 99 have died, including nine contractors.
One of those contractors was 21-year-old Alex King. He was killed while working as a flagger on a project in Butler County in 2021. Alex's mother Dana King shared her son's tragic story during Wednesday's news conference, detailing the pain of her loss.
"I just felt like I was going to die," King said. "I remember hitting my knees and just screaming, screaming as loud as my body would allow me to. And then just wishing that God would come and snatch my soul from my body because to this day I still don't know how to live without him."
King also shared her powerful message to everyone hitting Ohio's roads this summer.
"Please just slow down. Pay attention," King said. "There is not a phone call, there is not a text message, there is nothing in your car that is more important than the lives that are out here on this road. One split-second distraction can cause a lifetime of devastation because I live it every single day."
As part of the initiative, ODOT is also launching its new public education campaign "Not Just a Roadside Worker." You can watch it here.
The state says there are more than 500 active road construction zones in Ohio. Another 950 road projects are planned this summer.