ARTBA Urges Motorist Caution In Work Zones During National Transportation Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 11, 1998

Contact: 
Bill Toohey
Matt Jeanneret
202-289-4434

Washington, D.C.—As America celebrates National Transportation Week (NTW) May 10-16, 1998, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is calling on motorists to pay special attention and drive carefully through road construction sites. More than 700 people are killed and 5,000 people are injured in accidents at these sites each year.

"Try to imagine working every day just a few feet away from traffic that is traveling up to 70 miles per hour. That's the work environment for highway construction workers," said ARTBA President Pete Ruane. "The safety of motorists and workers in highway work zones has been a long standing concern for the transportation construction industry. We must all work together to make them safer."

To help address this problem, ARTBA and the federal government recently created a National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse provides transportation agencies, law enforcement departments, highway designers and contractors, labor unions, insurance companies, motor clubs and other interested parties with a wealth of information on how to make road construction zones safer for motorists, pedestrians and highway workers.

The association is partnering on the project with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) in College Station, Texas, which is housing the facility and handling its day-to-day operations. The National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) will help ARTBA publicize and market the Clearinghouse and its products and services.

The Clearinghouse provides an array of "best practice" information to include work zone design, research reports, information on mounting public awareness and law enforcement campaigns, as well as data on safety consultants, products and training courses. Users can reach the Clearinghouse via toll-free phone (1-888-447-5556), fax (409-845-7575), e-mail (workzone@tamu.edu), or on the Internet at http://wzsafety.tamu.edu.

NTW was first designated by Congress over 30 years ago to draw public attention to the importance and benefits of transportation. The slogan for the 1998 NTW is "Transportation: Taking You Where You Want To Go!" and special themes for this year include safety, economic competitiveness and quality of life.

More than 20 national transportation organizations, including ARTBA, worked during the past few months to share ideas and build interest in NTW. ARTBA is one of 13 organizations featured on NTW's website. Additional information about NTW can be found on the Internet at www.ota.fhwa.dot.gov/ntw.

Established in 1902, ARTBA is the only U.S. trade association that exclusively represents the transportation construction industry. Its members include construction contractors, professional engineering firms, heavy equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, more than 600 state and local government transportation entities and more than 50 universities.

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