With over $1.5 billion in new Indiana highway projects beginning work, 2011 is shaping up to be Indiana’s largest road construction season on record. As part of Work Zone Safety Awareness Week April 4th-8th, the Indiana Department of Transportation is helping educate motorists about the largest road construction projects that will impact local traffic this year.
On average, four out of five people killed in highway work zones are drivers or passengers, not highway workers. Steeper fines and penalties await drivers who speed or drive recklessly through a work zone. Drivers who injure or kill a highway worker will find themselves paying a $10,000 fine or serving up to eight years in prison.
In our area, one of the largest projects will be the continued construction on U.S. 31. Bridges and lanes for the new U.S. 31 project in St. Joseph and Marshall Counties will be constructed. Drivers will notice increased traffic from trucks and construction vehicles. Traffic will also be restricted to one lane this spring and summer while a bridge is constructed in the area of South Roosevelt Road.
