"Respect the zone, so we all get home" 

SANTA FE — Next Monday kicks off National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), an annual tribute to spread roadway work zone safety awareness as road construction projects ramp up with warmer weather. 

This year's meaningful theme is "Respect the zone so we all get home." 

The goal is to remind drivers to pay attention as they approach and navigate through work zones so both motorists and roadway workers remain safe. 

As part of NWZAW, Go Orange Day will take place on Wednesday, April 23. Wear orange on April 23 to show support for the men and women who work tirelessly to keep the nation's roads in top condition and for the families who have lost loved ones in work zone crashes. We will also hold a moment of silence at 9 a.m. on Friday, April 25, 2025. 

Across New Mexico message boards will run specific messaging alerting the public to the Safety Week and many NMDOT offices will have remembrance cones in their lobby as tribute to those highway workers that have lost their life. 

 The National Work Zone Memorial has these individuals from New Mexico on the memorial: 

 David Eggert 

 Chris Marquez 

 Mittie Runyan

 Anthony Rivera

 Ernesto Perea 

 According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System data, 891 people died in work zones in 2022, including 742 drivers and their passengers. Also in 2022, 94 highway worker occupational fatalities occurred in road construction sites according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.