Lt. Gov. Miller renews calls for work zone safety heading into Memorial Day weekend

With hundreds of thousands of Marylanders expected to travel over Memorial Day weekend, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller on Wednesday renewed calls for drivers to be careful when going through work zones.

“On one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, we ask Marylanders to do their part to keep themselves and their families, other motorists, and Maryland highway workers safe on the roads,” Miller said during an event at Bridges Restaurant in Queen Anne’s County.

Miller, who worked as a transportation engineer for 25 years, will be leading a workgroup tasked with recommending how the state can improve safety in and around highway work zones.

State officials announced the formation of the workgroup in April, weeks after six construction workers died after an out-of-control sedan traveling north on Interstate 695 entered an active construction zone through an opening in a temporary concrete barrier, according to a March report from The Associated Press.

The 54-year-old driver lost control after striking another car when she was trying to change lanes, according to the Maryland State Police.

There are about 1,000 construction workers spread across more than 300 work zones in Maryland each day, according to the State Highway Administration.

Since the lethal accident on I-695, there have been 145 vehicle crashes at work zones, resulting in serious injuries in some cases, according to the lieutenant governor’s office.

Miller said Wednesday that the workgroup — which is expected to include Federal Highway Administration employees, labor leaders and construction workers — will hold its first meeting on June 1.

Miller has said that the workgroup will evaluate best practices from others in the transportation industry, raise awareness of road safety and consider strengthening the state’s laws on speeding and distracted driving in work zones.

AAA has estimated that more than 850,000 Marylanders will travel 50 miles or more from home over the holiday weekend, marking a 6% increase over last year. But, according to AAA’s estimate, there will still be fewer people traveling than in 2019, before the pandemic.

“Americans, including those in our region, are ready to kick off the Memorial Day weekend with a trip,” Ragina Cooper Ali, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic in Maryland and Washington, D.C., said in a statement. “In Maryland and the Washington, D.C. Metro area, AAA expects this to be the fourth busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000 – when AAA started tracking holiday travel.”