ODOT Will Suspend Roadwork Over Labor Day Weekend

Drivers still need to pay attention to the orange construction signs, detours, lane restrictions and speed limit signs in work zones.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Oregon Department of Transportation will suspend construction activities on all state highways over the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

In an effort to ease congestion and improve traffic flow, all ODOT-controlled construction activity that affects travel lanes on Oregon highways will shut down beginning at noon on Friday. Work activities will not resume until Tuesday, September 4th.

“We’ll do everything we can to help travelers safely get to where they’re going, with minimal disruption,” said Jeff Scheick, ODOT Northwest Region manager.

But Scheick warned that motorists still must pay attention to the orange construction signs, detours, lane restrictions and speed limit signs in work zones. He cautioned motorists to pay special attention to safety as the Labor Day weekend begins and residents and visitors face the final days of what’s been a busy summer travel season on Oregon’s highways.

“We want everyone to arrive at their destinations safe and sound,” Scheick said. “So buckle up and be prepared.”

Scheick asked that holiday travelers drive defensively and make sure everyone in the vehicle uses a safety belt. Drivers also should take advantage of Oregon’s approximately six dozen Safety Rest Areas to stay rested and alert.

ODOT suggests you make your holiday travel safer and more pleasant by:

¨ Planning ahead! Visit TripCheck.com or call 511 to avoid traffic snags and inclement road and weather conditions

¨ Allowing plenty of time to reach your destination

¨ Always wearing safety belts and using child-safety and booster seats

¨ Never drinking and driving; and not allowing someone else to do so

¨ Adjusting driving habits according to road, traffic and weather conditions

¨ Avoiding confrontations with other motorists and obeying speed limits

Drunken driving patrols will be increased over the three-day weekend

Law enforcement agencies throughout the state, in partnership with ODOT, will join in an impaired-driving enforcement blitz through Sept. 3 in an effort to get drunk or otherwise impaired drivers off the highways.

Out of the six people who died in Oregon vehicle crashes during the 2006 Labor Day weekend, half were killed in alcohol-related incidents. In 2005, 10 people were killed in Labor Day weekend crashes, and two of those fatalities were alcohol-related. During the same three-day holiday in 2004, four of the eight people killed were involved in alcohol-related crashes. The Labor Day holiday is second only to Memorial Day weekend in terms of the percentage of alcohol-related traffic fatalities across Oregon.

ODOT asks that anyone who plans on drinking over the weekend think ahead and designate a sober driver, or use public transportation or taxi cabs.

School begins right after Labor Day

Following the Labor Day weekend is the start of school in most communities across the state, and that means now is the time to dust off the back-to-school safety routines.

Slight changes in Oregon law now require drivers to slow to 20 mph in school zones when yellow lights are flashing or during the hours that posted school zone signs indicate. If no specific hours are posted, drivers must slow to 20 mph from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on days when school is in session.

Driving just 5 mph over the 20 mph speed limit increases the risk of hitting a child and increases the severity of the injury when a child is struck by a vehicle. Slowing down anytime children are near the street or a crosswalk can prevent a tragedy. When drivers are in doubt, it never hurts to slow down.