CITY LAUNCHES CONSTRUCTION ZONE SAFETY CAMPAIGN FOR SECOND YEAR

The City of Saskatoon has launched its Respect Work Zones campaign for a second year, urging people to slow down and pay attention when driving through construction areas this summer.

“The crews we all drive by every day are not only equipment operators, roadway inspectors and maintenance workers; they are somebody’s mom, dad, husband and daughter,” says Angela Gardiner, Director of Transportation. “This campaign is asking drivers to do their part to ensure our workers get home safely to their families at the end of the day.”

This year, through the Building Better Roads program, more than $53 million is being invested to build, maintain and repair more roads than ever before, which means more work zones. Respecting work zones will allow crews to focus on the job and safely complete this summer’s projects.

“Just last week we had an incident where crews were setting up to paint sidewalk lines on 33rd Street when a truck hit a fire hydrant and continued travelling toward them. The workers had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit,” says Gardiner.  “Every year, onsite workers, two-thirds of whom are new to the job, are put at risk by unsafe driving in close proximity to their worksites.”

It is also important for people driving to respect signage even when workers are not present. Barriers will stay in place where there are roadside hazards or where fresh pavement or concrete needs to set, to ensure the safety of people driving.

“We want to thank citizens for their patience during this construction season, which we know has been made even more frustrating with the closure of the University Bridge,” says Gardiner. “We care about the safety of our employees and everyone who uses Saskatoon’s roads - if everyone does their part, plans ahead and respects work zones, we will get through the season safely and successfully.”

Drivers can avoid delays and plan commutes by visiting saskatoon.ca/betterroads. Check out the Road Restrictions and Construction Projects Map and find Traffic Detour Service Alerts. Also, follow @YXEServiceAlert on Twitter for timely traffic updates.