PIERRE, S.D. (KCCR) – While the South Dakota Department of Transportation will be focused on snow removal this week with a major spring snowstorm on the way, the DOT is normally dealing with the kick-off to road construction season. This week is National Work Zone Awareness Week and DOT Pierre Area Engineer Dean VanDeWeile says it time to be watching out for road construction areas.

VanDeWeile says 2019 is bringing with it a new road construction safety campaign nationwide.

VanDeWeile is hoping the “Drive Like You Work There” campaign will raise awareness with everyone about how to safely traverse a work zone.

Since 2007, South Dakota has seen four worker fatalities, two in 2011 and two in 2012 according to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse. According to a report last year from the Center for Construction Research and Training a total of 532 road construction workers have been killed in work zone accidents from 2011 to 2016 nationwide.