Transportation Cabinet official Tim Henderlight set up a desk in a highway work zone in Breathitt County Friday to make his point as he discussed the need for driving safely in construction zones. Henderlight held a news conference to discuss work zone safety in Eastern Kentucky at the site of a $37 million construction project to relocate KY 15 and widen it to four lanes. Photo by H.B. Elkins, District 10 PIO.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 10 Press Release:

JACKSON, KY - (April 29, 2005) -- It might seem a bit strange to set up a desk and a computer in the middle of a construction zone and call it your workstation. But in essence, that's what hundreds of employees of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and its many contractors do every day when they report to work, as they strive to improve the Commonwealth's network of highways.

Just as a boardroom is to an executive, a classroom is to a teacher or a sales counter is to a retail clerk, a construction zone is the workplace for construction and maintenance crews. The main difference is that teachers, executives, sales clerks and those in other professions don't have to deal with the dangers posed by high-speed traffic whizzing by as they do their jobs. Highway workers face these hazards every day.

Tim Henderlight, executive director of the Transportation Cabinet's Office of Rural and Secondary Roads, made that point in a very visual way today as he set up a desk in the middle of a road construction project in Breathitt County. Henderlight discussed the importance of highway work zone safety in a press conference attended by area media representatives, elected officials, and highway workers from local and state governments and contractors.

"How would you like it if someone drove through your office?" Henderlight said. "Keep in mind - the people who build our highways work where you drive."

Henderlight listed steps the Transportation Cabinet takes to ensure the safety of construction workers, and also gave a list of tips motorists can use to safely navigate work zones without being involved in an accident.

Representatives from the Drive Smart program and Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement were also on hand to reinforce the safe-driving message.

For a list of the work zone driving tips, visit http://transportation.ky.gov/News/4-1-05.htm . For up-to-date listings of major Kentucky work zones, visit http://511.ky.gov .