D-O-T declares construction season open

The Iowa Department of Transportation is officially declaring construction season open.The D-O-T is taking a new approach this year to get motorists to slow down and pay attention in highway work zones. They’re focusing on the men and women who’re working behind the barricades, and their families. D-O-T Work Zone Safety coordinator Jerry Dickinson says an average of eight people have been killed in work zone accidents in each of the past ten years. He’s not sure if all the reminders are working.He says drivers seem to want to go at their own pace and view work zones as an inconvenience. The D-O-T brought in 11-year-old Morgan Cramer Thursday to help send the message. Cramer’s dad oversees crews in work zones. She asked drives to slow down and be careful.Dickinson says there’ll be plenty of work zones to contend with again this year.Dickinson says it’ll be a typical construction season in Iowa. He says some of the heavier work around the larger cities of Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport.