SCOOTER GIRL: Behind the barriers

Working on a road construction site is dangerous work. Not only are you working around very large machinery and working in sometimes bad weather, there is also the danger of any passing motorist coming in contact with the machinery or even worse, the workers. In a press release sent to me by PennDOT Press Officer James May, the number of accidents was staggering: “According to PennDOT data, there were 22 people killed in work zones in Pennsylvania last year. Four construction workers were killed, including three PennDOT employees and one contractor. Three of those worker deaths were caused by a public vehicle entering the work zone. Since 1970, 82 PennDOT employees have been killed in the line of duty.” These numbers can be reduced by simply having motorists pay attention to work zone signage and simply slowing down.

The first week of April was Work Zone Safety Week. Bet you didn’t know that. Actually, I didn’t either until I met May and Construction Project Manager Jim Grabowski. They took me on a tour of a work site near Hunlock Creek. This site was chosen because many bike runs and rides use this route as it is very scenic and a quiet, winding country road. While we pay attention to the larger work zones on the interstate highways, these smaller work zones are also manned by workers who just want to do a day’s work and return home safe at night.

Another interesting statistic from the press release: “In 2010, there were 1,884 crashes in work zones, a dramatic increase from the 1,519 crashes in 2009 and the most in any of the past five years. Over that same time period, there were a total of 8,302 work-zone crashes and 114 fatalities.” Why is this happening?

I asked Grabowski if he preferred working behind the barriers, he replied, “Much prefer to be behind barriers, working with cones is nowhere near as safe.” He said that he has seen a few accidents and recounted one story that happened on Route 309 in Dallas. “This lady was driving, reading the newspaper, and she hit the car in front of her in the work zone. I could read her lips saying, ‘I was reading the newspaper.’” Lucky no one was hurt in that small fender bender.

We got to talking a bit about the road gravel and how it affects riders and acts like marbles which can cause skids. Grabowski pointed out that “Every construction zone is required to keep the work zone clear of debris to keep it safe for motorists. If you are working in a zone with a lot of dirt and gravel, they are required to keep the dust down, mostly using water but also other liquids if that doesn’t work.”

The construction zone in Hunlock Creek was a bit unusual as it was situated amid several houses. They are building a new bridge to replace one that was washed out in a flood. It was actually kind of neat to watch as they put in sheeting to redirect the flow of water in the creek so that they could build first one side then the other. There was a huge crane that used a tool to pound the sheets into the creek bed, which caused quite a racket.

“We have a monitor on all houses to monitor vibration so we know how much vibration is going on,” Grabowski said, adding that this particular project should be done by Thanksgiving. I think the residents will be glad to have a bridge back and some quiet!

Grabowski spoke highly of the crew that was working there. “The five guys on this bridge crew are really great. I’ve worked with them before, and they are safe and work well together. “

I asked May and Grabowski what would make things safer for the workers, they both agreed that getting people to pay attention slow down and stop texting. Grabowski said that he has seen any number of people texting as they are going through the work zones. That is something that is really dangerous.

Grabowski is a 20-year veteran of PennDOT who works out of the Dunmore District Office. This district, District 4, covers six counties, and he’s worked in all of them over the years. May is PennDOT’s newest Safety Press Officer; his background includes seven years as an Army Chaplin who was attached to the 52nd Engineers attached to the 101st in Iraq. Most recently May worked for Governor Tom Corbett’s staff.

So keep it safe out there whether you are on a bike or in a car. The work zone is someone’s job. Let them make it home at the end of the day.

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