National Work Zone Awareness Week 2026

This National Work Zone Awareness Week, we honor the transportation and road crew workers who keep Pennsylvania moving — and remember those who never made it home.

AFSCME Council 13 proudly represents PennDOT and local road crew workers across the commonwealth who face dangerous conditions every day just to do their jobs. Too many of our brothers and sisters have been injured or killed in work zones — and every loss is one too many.

“We take a lot of pride in the work we do — keeping these roads safe for our neighbors, our families, and everyone just trying to get where they’re going. But we can’t do it alone. When drivers slow down and pay attention, it makes all the difference. Stronger together, safer together — that’s how we all make it home," said Mario Alpini, President of AFSCME Local 2154 and an Equipment Operator for Delaware County PennDOT.

The reality is stark:

• 1,393 crashes and 12 deaths occurred in Pennsylvania work zones in 2025.
• There are now 116 names on AFSCME Council 13's PennDOT memorial. Our union has kept track of fallen transportation workers since 1967 when PennDOT was known as the "Department of Highways."
• PennDOT's official count started with the department's founding in 1970 and stands at 93.
• The PA Turnpike has lost 45 workers since 1940.

These are not just numbers — they are lives, families, and communities forever changed.

Work zone safety is not optional. It’s the law:

• Automatic 15-day license suspension for driving more than 10 mph over the speed limit in an active work zone or being involved in a crash while speeding.
• Fines are doubled for speeding, DUIs, and traffic violations.
• Up to five additional years of jail time for vehicular homicide in a work zone.

Slow down. Stay alert. Respect the workers. Everyone deserves to make it home safely.