As the 2024 construction season gets underway, the Maine Department of Transportation is deploying new technology to improve safety and awareness on road construction projects.
[Above photo by the Maine DOT]
The department said it is using a “Smart Work Zone System” that involves deploying portable sensors miles ahead of interstate work zones. The sensors monitor vehicle speeds and volumes, allowing the Maine DOT to collect real-time traffic information and put that information on digital message boards – providing motorists with real-time updates on roadway work zones ahead of them.
“Early warnings about speed reductions or stopped traffic are especially important when vehicles are traveling at interstate speeds,” said Shawn Smith, senior project manager at MaineDOT, in a statement.
“Smart Work Zone System technology is allowing MaineDOT to do daytime construction work this year on I-295 between Topsham and Gardiner,” Smith added. “This daytime construction improves safety while also reducing costs to Maine taxpayers.”
The agency noted that, every year, Maine averages more than 500 crashes and two fatalities in work zones – with the leading causes of work zone crashes are drivers following too closely, being distracted, and failing to yield.
Maine DOT unveiled this new system at a special work zone safety event on May 13 that included representatives from the Maine Turnpike Authority, Maine State Police, Associated General Contractors of Maine, and AAA Northern New England.
[Editor’s note: In April, state departments of transportation across the country addressed the issue of work zone safety in a variety of ways as part of the 2024 National Work Zone Awareness Week safety campaign.]
“Since construction season is here, we want to remind drivers that Maine’s ‘Move Over Law’ requires drivers to move over for any vehicle with green or amber lights,” John Cannell, director of maintenance for the Maine Turnpike Authority, pointed out. “Moving over for our crews is not just a courtesy: it’s the law.”
“As drivers, it’s easy to become complacent when passing through work zones, but the speed limit reduction is there for a reason: to protect you and the men and women who are working in those zones,” said Corporal Doug Cropper of the Maine State Police. “Drivers have the power to prevent crashes and save lives by driving with caution and courtesy on the road.”
“The dedicated women and men who do road construction work in Maine do their jobs just feet sometimes inches away from traffic moving at high speeds,” stressed Kelly Flagg, executive director of Associated General Contractors of Maine.
“These workers know that one moment of driver distraction can result in a deadly crash,” Flagg added. “There are too many close-call stories.”
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