AASHTO Journal - NY Bridge Named for Worker Killed in Work Zone Crash

The New York State Department of Transportation recently dedicated a bridge in Rensselaer County to the memory of Robert Bornt, a NYSDOT highway maintenance supervisor and 22-year agency veteran killed in a work zone crash in May 2025.

[Above photo by NYSDOT]

A formal dedication ceremony officially renaming the bridge – located on State Route 2 in the Town of Petersburg – in Bornt’s name will take place in the near future, NYSDOT said.

“Robert Bornt was a beloved husband, father and grandfather, a pillar of his community, and a devoted member of the NYSDOT family,” said Marie Therese Dominguez, NYSDOT commissioner, in a statement.

“Robert’s death was a tragedy, and it highlights the dangers that highway maintenance workers face every single day,” she said. “Dedicating this bridge to Robert Bornt is a fitting tribute to a man who worked every day of his life in service to his community and the State of New York.”

Dominguez also thanked Governor Kathy Hochul (D), who signed a measure passed by the state legislature to rename the bridge as a way to honor Robert’s life and his family.

NYSDOT noted that Bornt was leading a construction crew on a project on State Route 7 in Pittstown, when a vehicle crossed over into a designated work zone and struck him. He was airlifted to Albany Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries a day later.

Bornt also served as the Hoosick Falls Fire Chief and as a member of the Rescue Squad. In addition, he was a substitute school bus driver and a regional union president.

NYSDOT noted that the agency has lost 59 workers in the line of duty over the course of its history. In 2025, the agency noted that there were 366 work zone crashes on NYSDOT-maintained roads; resulting in 58 injuries and two fatalities.

Across the country, state departments of transportation continue to seek ways to eliminate such highway work zone injuries and deaths – especially through the annual National Work Zone Awareness Week or NWZAW campaign – by hosting a variety of events and public outreach initiatives focused on the importance of protecting roadway workers and motorists in highway work zones.

National Work Zone Awareness Week – which originated in 1999 when the Federal Highway Administration, the American Traffic Safety Services Association, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials signed a Memorandum of Agreement pledging to increase public awareness of work zone safety issues through a national media campaign – honors the workers and professionals who help keep construction zones safe, including highway crews, public works employees, utility companies, contractors, and law enforcement.

Many state DOTs have also built memorials to reflect the “deeply personal” toll work zone fatalities take on state workers and contractors and their families.

In 2026, for example, the Colorado Department of Transportation honored the memories of Trent Umberger and Nate Jones – members of Colorado DOT Patrol 1 based in Grand Junction – who were killed in September 2024 when they were struck by a vehicle that veered off the pavement.

They joined 62 other Colorado DOT employees lost in work zones since 1929, five of them in the past 10 years alone.

“Every day, our crews and contractor partners work just feet away from live traffic to keep Colorado’s roads safe and reliable,” said Shoshana Lew, Colorado DOT’s executive director, in a statement at the time.

“Every name etched on our memorial rock represents a life lost – a colleague, a friend, a member of our family. National Work Zone Awareness Week is an important reminder that when drivers slow down and pay attention, they help ensure these workers can return home safely at the end of the day,” she noted.

Other state DOTs also hold vigils for their fallen workers as part of their yearly NWZAW campaigns, such as the Arkansas Department of Transportation, Mississippi Department of Transportation, the South Carolina Department of Transportation, and the California Department of Transportation.