Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

RIDOT, SAFETY PARTNERS MARK WORK ZONE AWARENESS WEEK
 

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and its safety partners joined forces today to urge drivers to slow down and move over when approaching work zones and first responders to save lives. The week of April 15, 2024 is National Work Zone Awareness Week.

Director Peter Alviti was joined by State Police Colonel Darnell Weaver, East Providence Police Chief Christopher Francesconi, FHWA Regional Director Derek Torrey and officials from AAA Northeast, the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades and the New England Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund to draw awareness to the issue.

Speaking at RIDOT’s East Providence Maintenance Facility, Director Alviti noted that RIDOT has 63 active projects this construction season in dozens of work zones throughout the state. Plus, RIDOT has 20 to 30 active maintenance work zones throughout the state every day. Statistics show that there are about 900 fatalities each year in active work zones and the bulk of these are among drivers who hit either barriers or equipment.

State and local police pointed out the importance, as well, of drivers slowing down and moving over when first responders are working on the side of the road. In 2008, Rhode Island passed the “move over” law which requires drivers to move over a lane when approaching a first responder. In 2014, the law was expanded to include construction and highway maintenance workers. If a driver is not able to move over, he or she must slow down to leave as much space as possible between their vehicle and those that are stopped.

“Every day, law enforcement officers, emergency responders and roadside workers put their lives at risk to see important construction projects through and uphold the safety of our communities. By slowing down and moving over, you are doing your part to protect roadside workers and ensure work zone safety on our highways,” said Colonel Weaver.

Chief Christopher Francesconi of the East Providence Police Department said, “In work zones, every cone, every barricade and every flashing light is there for a reason: to keep roadside workers, law enforcement officers and drivers safe. It only takes a split second of distraction to cause a tragedy. Today we are reminding all drivers to keep your attention on the road.”

All RIDOT work zones are set up with careful attention to safety and in coordination with national standards and best practices. Work zone inspections take place on a regular basis as well.
 
A shootout in Charlotte, North Carolina has left four law enforcement officers dead and at least four others injured. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings says the officers were part of a fugitive task force serving a warrant at a home on Monday, when a suspect opened fire.        Columbia University is suspending students who refused to leave the encampment on campus. University officials gave the students until 2 p.m. Monday to clear out or face suspension. However, students continued to their pro-Palestinian protests and had not dispersed from the encampment.        Former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial is set to resume this morning in New York City. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to hide hush money payments.        A 16-year-old who allegedly fired a gun in a shootout at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory rally will soon find out if he'll be tried as an adult. The teen is charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon in the February incident that saw one woman killed and more than 20 injured. He's expected in court for a hearing today.        A new study shows people who have Long COVID are more likely to have mental health issues. The study published by the American Medical Association studied over 25 thousand U.S. adults with and without long COVID and discovered that long COVID patients were twice as likely to experience depression, anxiety, sleeping disorders, cognitive problems and disabling fatigue.        NBC Universal's Peacock streaming service will see a price hike just before the Summer Olympics. The monthly subscription fee for Peacock Premium will jump two-dollars to seven-99 starting July 18th for new subscribers. Meanwhile, the price for the mostly ad-free Peacock Premium Plus will go up to 13-99 a month.        

Old News Archives