Hochul highlights statewide work zone safety efforts as construction season begins

Marks national Work Zone Awareness Week

√ Thruway Authority launches new ‘Help Us Get Home’ work zone safety PSA featuring maintenance staff from across New York

√ ‘Operation Hardhat’ and automated work zone speed enforcement programs to increase through spring & summer months, enhancing protection for highway workers

Submitted by the Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul 

Gov. Kathy Hochul kicked off National Work Zone Awareness Week, a week-long campaign running from April 20-24 that promotes work zone safety statewide, urging drivers to slow down, stay alert and follow New York’s “Move Over Law” to protect highway and roadside workers. This year’s national theme is “Safe Actions Save Lives.”

“Every roadside worker deserves to return home safely at the end of their shift,” Hochul said. “The number of intrusions into work zones is alarming and shows that too many drivers are still ignoring the law and putting lives at risk. Work zones are active job sites, and a driver’s impatience or distraction can have life-altering consequences. That’s why we are pushing for stronger enforcement and tougher penalties for repeat offenders, and why I’m urging every driver to slow down, stay alert and respect the people working just feet away from live traffic. Safe actions behind the wheel truly save lives.”

Despite years of progress, work zones remain among the most dangerous places on New York’s roadways. After three straight years of decline, work zone crashes on the New York State Thruway surged in 2025 to their highest level since 2020, with 228 crashes leading to 28 injuries. These incidents are primarily caused by speeding, distracted driving, following too closely, unsafe lane changes and failure to obey warning signs and flagger instructions – behaviors that place both workers and motorists at risk.

To reinforce the impact of work zone crashes, the New York State Thruway Authority is launching a work zone safety public service announcement titled, “Help Us Get Home.” The PSA features thruway maintenance staff from across the state speaking directly to drivers about the risks they face every day while maintaining and repairing New York’s highways.

The campaign underscores a simple but powerful message: Every worker in a hard hat is also a parent, spouse, neighbor or friend, and each one deserves to return home safely at the end of the day.

The New York State Department of Transportation is also launching a statewide public education campaign to remind motorists that their driving choices in work zones have real-world consequences. Motorists who choose to speed or drive distracted in highway work zones risk the lives of road workers and themselves.

NYSDOT has lost 59 workers in the line of duty over the course of its history. In 2025, there were 366 work zone crashes on NYSDOT-owned roads that resulted in 58 injuries and two fatalities. Robert Bornt, a NYSDOT highway maintenance worker, lost his life on May 30, 2025, after being struck by a vehicle while working along State Route 7. Robert, from Hoosick Falls, Rensselaer County, was a dedicated husband, father, volunteer fire chief and pillar of his community, and a beloved member of the NYSDOT family. The public education campaign is dedicated to Robert’s memory and to all those who have been senselessly killed while doing their jobs to make roads safer for the traveling public.

‘Operation Hardhat’ details

Beginning with National Work Zone Awareness Week and continuing throughout the spring and summer months, New York State Police and local law enforcement agencies will again conduct “Operation Hardhat” details in active thruway and NYSDOT work zones statewide.

Under “Operation Hardhat,” state troopers and participating local police officers, often dressed as highway workers, identify and cite motorists for violations including:

√ Speeding in work zones

√ Disobeying flagging personnel

√ Cell phone and seatbelt violations

√ Failure to comply with the state’s “Move Over Law”

These targeted enforcement efforts are designed to deter dangerous behaviors and reinforce the shared responsibility drivers have to keep work zones safe.

During the 2025 construction season, New York State Police conducted 55 “Operation Hard Hat” initiatives statewide and issued a total of 3,217 tickets.

Automated work zone speed enforcement

Under Hochul’s leadership, New York continues to expand its automated work zone speed enforcement (AWZSE) program, a joint initiative of NYSDOT and the Thruway Authority established by legislation in 2021.

The program has proven effective at reducing speeds in work zones where cameras are deployed, helping change driver behavior and protect workers. Under the program, fines are issued as follows:

√ First notice of liability: $50

√ Second notice of liability: $75 within an 18-month period

√ Third and subsequent notices: $100 within an 18-month period

Hochul’s FY27 executive budget proposal includes enhanced assault protections for highway workers, new penalties for menacing a highway worker and for intrusions into active work zones, and expands the AWZSE program to additional roadways, all further strengthening protections for roadside workers.

Safety reminders for drivers

Drivers are reminded to:

•Slow down when approaching and traveling through work zones.

•Move over for all stopped vehicles, emergency responders and roadside workers.

•Stay off phones and avoid other distractions.

•Follow posted signs, lane shifts and flagger instructions.

National Work Zone Awareness Week serves as an annual reminder that work zones are temporary, but the consequences of unsafe driving can last forever.

Safety is a shared responsibility. By working together, we can reduce crashes and ensure safer roads for workers and drivers alike.

For more information on National Work Zone Awareness Week and how to stay safe while driving through work zones, visit the state’s comprehensive website at ny.gov/workzone.

The following 14 landmarks illuminating orange this evening, April 20, for “Go Orange Day” in honor of highway workers across New York:

• 1WTC
• Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
• Kosciuszko Bridge
• The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
• State Education Building
• Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
• Empire State Plaza
• State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center
• Niagara Falls
• The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
• Grand Central Terminal – Pershing Square Viaduct
• Albany International Airport Gateway
• Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
• Roosevelt Island Lighthouse

New York State Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare said, “The recent increase in work zone crashes on the thruway is unacceptable. Maintenance crews put themselves in harm’s way every day to maintain and modernize our roadways, and the very least we can ask is that drivers do their part to help our workers get home safely. This is not a request for just one week; it’s an everyday responsibility. I want to thank Gov. Hochul for her unwavering support and continued commitment to protecting highway workers through stronger enforcement, public awareness and accountability for dangerous driving behaviors.”

NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “There is nothing more important than the safety and well-being of our workforce – our team members. For those of us at the state Department of Transportation, National Work Zone Awareness Week has a special significance. It comes just weeks away from the one-year anniversary of the line-of-duty death of NYSDOT Highway Maintenance Supervisor Robert Bornt. Robert was a pillar of his community and deserved to go home to his family at the end of his workday. Instead, last May, he was fatally struck by a vehicle while in a work zone. We are dedicated to do everything we can to keep our highway, bridge and transportation workers safe, and we are very grateful to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her indefatigable commitment to the safety of our workforce through enhanced protections against work zone intrusions, accountability and enforcement. I implore the traveling public to take great care in work zones as construction season continues to ramp up. Our crews will be out there every day – keeping you safe. Please do your part to keep them safe.”

New York State Bridge Authority Executive Director Dr. Minosca Alcantara said, “The annual observance of National Work Zone Awareness Week serves as a critical reminder of the importance of safety on our roadways and bridges, as well as the need to protect the dedicated public servants who maintain them. Staying alert and slowing down in work zones is not only essential for drivers, it can mean the difference between life and death for our road and bridge crews. Safe actions save lives, and we all share a responsibility to do our part. The Bridge Authority thanks Gov. Hochul, the Legislature, and our transportation partners for their continued commitment to improving safety for workers and the traveling public alike.”

New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “A core mission of the New York State Police is highway safety, and we take that responsibility seriously. The women and men who perform their jobs each day along our state’s roadways face multiple challenges – from speeding motorists, distracted or impaired drivers, and other reckless behavior. As we kick off construction season and recognize National Work Zone Awareness Week, we will continue to ensure laws are enforced and motorists adhere to safe driving practices in work zones. These actions can save lives and prevent senseless tragedies.”

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner and chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Mark J.F. Schroeder said, “After a long winter, you will be seeing more workers out fixing our roads. Whether they’re protected by concrete dividers or orange cones, I urge all New Yorkers to help keep our crews safe by slowing down and moving over. And, as always, we ask drivers to stay alert, minimize distractions, keep some distance between themselves and other vehicles, and don’t speed.” 

AAA Northeast Vice President John Corlett said, “As the highway construction season begins to start up in full swing, AAA encourages drivers to use extra caution when approaching and driving through work zones. Every year, there are hundreds of work zone intrusions on New York state roads. This is simply unacceptable. AAA also urges drivers to adhere to the state’s ‘Move Over’ law, which requires drivers to change lanes when approaching stopped vehicles alongside the road including construction vehicles, emergency vehicles, tow trucks and disabled vehicles on the side of the road.”