'For our safety and yours': INDOT encourages motorists to be aware, especially in work zones

Apr. 15—Matt Schalburg has had moments where he has come perilously close to being hit by a motorist while doing his job in a construction work zone.

That's why the highway maintenance technician for Terre Haute's Indiana Department of Transportation subdivision is encouraging all drivers to observe National Work Zone Awareness Week — not just for the next seven days, but every time they're behind the wheel.

"It's extremely important not just this week, but every day of the week, 365 days a year," he said. "It's very important that you be aware of road work, whether it's city, county, state — it's all of us together. And especially with INDOT in the high-speed traffic zones — buckle up, pay attention and put the phone down and be aware that we're out there working."

In 2023, 1,747 people were injured in Indiana work zones, with 8,287 crashes and 33 fatalities. Work zone crashes occur most often in the summer and fall.

Most of the accidents are the result of some combination of driving too fast in a work zone or being distracted while driving and not realizing one has entered a work zone. Distraction is the biggest culprit.

"It's not even necessarily our devices — the dashboards of our cars are full of electronics anymore," Schalburg said. "Plus, it could be something as simple as reaching down to grab your iced tea, reaching into the other seat to grab your french fries — it can be something simple as all that. ... There are a lot of forms of distraction."

While on the job, Schalburg said that he has experienced "close calls, real close calls. On State Road 46, I was flagging just inside Clay County and I was directing a lady to stop — we had the other lane closed down. And this person was coming at me — I could clearly see that she had her phone up in her face."

Schalburg performed all the actions he has been trained to do in such a situation — waving the [stop or slow] sign, making himself more visible by moving around quickly — to no avail.

"As I stepped aside to move, she followed me," he recalled. "The only thing that saved me — I stepped across a ditch line into a field and she finally stopped."

He added, "There's been instances on I-70 that have been very, very, very close — it's like they're coming up on you within inches."

Schalburg said contemporary vehicles condition drivers to be dependent upon much of its electronic system's input, but, "Our eyes and our actions as human beings are the most important. INDOT puts out ample signage — we've got ample warning signs ahead: 'Something's going on up here.' It's here, it's most every work site you're going to come upon — there are standards we have to meet and we do it for our safety and yours."

Blake Dollier, INDOT West Central's public relations director, said, "To have a campaign like National Work Zone Awareness Week is really important to us at the Department of Transportation and we hope we can make it important to drivers across the Wabash Valley and across the state, as well."

He added, "Everybody who goes out there, every single day, kind of puts themselves sometimes in a dangerous position to serve the public. We just ask that everyone make this as safe as possible for them. Just be courteous to your fellow road worker as you travel through these work sites."

Throughout the state, 5,858 lane miles will be replaced or resurfaced during this year's construction season, with 40 employees of the Terre Haute sub-district working on, among other things, projects on I-70 and Indiana 46.

Delays for motorists encountering road work are routinely far shorter than getting caught by a train. Slowing from 65 mph to 45 mph in a two-mile work zone requires a mere one minute of additional travel.

"One minute," marveled Schalburg. "You've got to ask yourself, 'Is a minute worth your life and mine?'"

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.