Flags flew at half-staff above the Colorado Department of Transportation headquarters Wednesday.
Beneath those flags, lowered to honor CDOT employees who have died in the line of duty, more than 100 people gathered for the agency’s annual Remembrance Day.
“These are people who had hopes and dreams that won’t come true,” Dave Dostaler Colorado Contractors Association safety task force chairperson said.
Before reading the 58 names of those who have fallen since 1929, and observing a moment of silence, Dostaler stressed that preventing more deaths and injuries was as simple as drivers slowing down, paying attention and putting away their cell phones.
“One of the best ways to curb the epidemic is to educate,” Dostaler said.
On average, one highway worker dies each week across the U.S. according to CDOT. Speeding, distracted driving and intoxication are the main reasons for accidents in work zones.
Nathan Corbin, project manager for the U.S. 6 and Interstate 25 interchange, worries about his crew every day.
“There is a tremendous amount of traffic in a small work zone,” Corbin said. “It is a dangerous job that we do.”
CDOT’s day was part of National Work Zone Awareness Week, observed each April across the country.
This year, the national traveling memorial was brought to the state and will be on display through Thursday at CDOT’s headquarters on Arkansas Avenue. There are 1,400 names, including 23 Coloradans, on the traveling memorial — only some of the estimated 8,500 workers who have been killed nationally through the years.
“There is a delicate balance to keep traffic zones moving while keeping our workers safe,” CDOT spokesperson Amy Ford said. “We want people to recognize that when they drive through work and traffic zones that people’s lives are their hands.”
The day also included recognition for two winners of the Work Zone Safety Poster Award.
Similar memorials will take place across the state next week.
Kate Gibbons: 303-954-1016, kgibbons@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ByKateGibbons