VDOT to hold vigil in honor of workers killed on Virginia roads

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WAVY) – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will hold a vigil on Wednesday, April 19 in honor of all Virginia transportation workers who have been killed on Virginia roadways.

The ceremony will start at 6 p.m. and will be hosted on eastbound Interstate 64 (mile marker 103) in Albemarle County. The event will be held rain or shine.

This year’s vigil will feature many keynote speakers, such as Secretary of Transportation W. Sheppard Miller III, Virginia State Police, Bureau of Field Operations Director Lt. Colonel Matthew D. Hanley, and VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich.

This vigil is part of National Work Zone Awareness Week. For the past 25 years, VDOT has dedicated a week to “spreading safety awareness to highway workers and the traveling public,” according to their website.

This year’s theme is “Work With Us.” Each year has a different goal, and this year’s is to remind the public that everyone plays a key role in work zone safety, whether it be as a construction worker, maintenance crew, or as a motorist passing by. If everyone does their part, then everyone will be able to return home safely.

Since 2006, VDOT’s Work Zone Awareness Week has included a recognition event at its Workers’ Memorial. The privately funded memorial is a place where friends, family, and colleagues can reflect on their loss and where the traveling public can become more aware of sacrifices made by state transportation workers.

For more information about work zone safety and of this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week, make sure to visit the NWZA VDOT page.