WOODLAWN, Md. — Highway workers in Maryland staged a show of force Tuesday in tribute to the shocking number of colleagues who’ve been killed on the roads since March 2023, including the six construction workers who died during the collapse of the Baltimore Key Bridge.
A procession of more than 350 highway work vehicles brought sections of Baltimore’s Beltway to a halt around noon, as state and federal authorities practically begged motorists to take notice and slow down. In all, 14 highway workers have been killed in Maryland since the beginning of March 2023.
Maryland highway worker Robert Lewis remembered a close call that nearly killed him and five coworkers on Route 15 in Frederick County last year when a dump truck lost control in a work zone.
"One of the first phone calls I made was to let my wife know what happened," Lewis said.
State Highway Administration Director William Pines called on motorists to slow down.
"Highway work is dangerous," Pines said as tribute guests sat in front of 14 orange cones draped in black to memorialize the highway workers killed in Maryland. "Whether it's along one of our busiest corridors or on a rural back road, we honor all those who were lost here in Maryland and across this nation."
The memorial was held near the scene of a March 2023 tragedy where six road workers died on the Baltimore Beltway when two cars lost control and careened into a work zone. Another six construction crew members were killed when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed one year later on March 26. Other deaths include a tree trimming contractor killed in a hit-and-run crash on the Capital Beltway near Georgia Ave in December.
"Between 2018 and 2022, there were nearly 7,200 work zone crashes in Maryland or nearly 1,500 every year," Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said. "Fourty-four people were killed in these crashes and more than 2,700 were injured. Many of these were highway workers, but many others were drivers and their passengers."
State Police Superintendent Roland Butler also reported a dramatic rise in work zone enforcement citations.
“The most common causes of work zone related crashes are distracted driving, following a vehicle too closely and speeding," Butler said. "All are things that motorists have control over."
Maryland legislators reacted in 2024 by doublng work zone automatic enforcement camera fines which will take effect in June. By 2025, repeat offenders will receive citations for $250 on a third offense. Authorities have lowered speed limits in many work zones. The SHA is in the process of switching over to more visible fluorescent green flashers on work trucks, which studies say are more visible.
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