2026 is projected to be a busy year for the Indiana Department of Transportation, or INDOT, with over 1,000 projects throughout the state being planned so far. While this could mean good things for Indiana's infrastructure, it also means the workers making it happen will often be feet away from road traffic.
"In 2025, 16 people were killed and more than 1,500 were hurt in Indiana work zones," said Secretary of Transportation and Infrastructure Matt Ubelhor in a press release. "While we've seen improvement in these numbers in recent years, there is still work to be done."
As part of National Work Zone Awareness Week, which started Monday, INDOT is rolling out Project Green Light, a trial run of small blinking green lights that clip onto road workers' hard hats or high visibility vests. They have already distributed 750 devices across the state.
Richard Hedgecock, president of Indiana Constructors, wants drivers to be on the lookout.
"So we're trying to tell people," Hedgecock said. "If you see green, know that that's a live person. Green means live, and they're out there doing work, trying to help improve the infrastructure for you and for your family."
Officials said drivers should be careful around work zones all year round. And they emphasized that cones, flashing lights, and signs aren't just there to protect workers.
"It's the person in the vehicle who, more often than not, is the one who's hurt," Hedgecock said, "not the worker. So the point of this week is to say, put down the phone. Slow down."
Data from INDOT shows four out of every five work zone fatalities are of a driver or passenger. Officials urged drivers to do their part by slowing down around work zones, putting their phones down, and buckling up.
Contact WFYI Digital Producer and Reporter Jeremy Reuben at jreuben@wfyi.org
