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FDOT Highlights Innovative Measures to Enhance Work Zone Safety During Work Zone Awareness Week

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — This week, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recognizes National Work Zone Awareness Week, an annual initiative to underscore the importance of protecting road workers and motorists in active construction zones. Through continued focus on enhancing safety across Florida's transportation system through innovation, engineering countermeasures, and educational outreach, FDOT is taking action to make work zones safer while reminding motorists of the role that they play in work zone safety.   

“Our roadside crews work around the clock to deliver projects and maintain Florida’s transportation infrastructure,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “Let’s keep them safe in work zones. Please remember to slow down, move over, and stay alert and free of distractions.”

FDOT has made significant strides in its work zone safety efforts. The Department is proud to showcase the measurable impact of the Safety Work Zone Innovation for Today and Tomorrow (SWIFTT) Challenge, a competition launched in 2024, that brings together private stakeholders, industry experts, and government agencies to develop creative solutions to work zone safety challenges. FDOT quickly deployed winning technologies on interstate resurfacing projects beginning in January 2025. These innovative systems combine LiDAR technology, radar, cameras, wearable smart watches, and wearable alert speakers to provide roadside workers with advanced warnings to seek safety prior to a potential collision. Building on this success, the second SWIFTT Challenge held in December 2025 selected another breakthrough innovation, a truck-mounted robotic pavement marking system that allows workers to spray lines and markings without the use of stencils and use geolocation technology to provide coordinates for the new markings, simplifying navigation and prioritizing worker safety and efficiency by reducing the need for crews to work directly in live traffic. 

Additionally, FDOT continues to expand the use of Smart Work Zones statewide as part of its effort to integrate these technologies across the Department's construction projects. First introduced in January 2024, Smart Work Zones leverage portable, real-time technology to monitor traffic conditions and communicate important safety information to both drivers and workers. Sensors placed around the work zone collect and analyze traffic data, enabling timely adjustments to traffic patterns that play an essential role in minimizing the risk of crashes and reducing congestion. Variable message signs provide drivers with up-to-date information on lane closures, speed adjustments, and alternate routes, helping them navigate through or around work zones as safely as possible.  

Safer work zones may begin with engineering measures like these, but driver behavior remains an important factor in helping to keep work zones fatality-free. This year's campaign theme, “Safe Actions Save Lives,” is a reminder that safe behaviors behind the wheel help both construction crews and motorists get home safely. 

Nationwide, four out of every five people killed in work zones are drivers or passengers — making safe driving in construction areas essential not just for workers, but for everyone on the road.  

Motorists can help make work zones safer by: 

  • Driving alert and staying focused.
  • Adhering to posted work zone speed limits.
  • Avoiding distractions.
  • Watching for shifts in traffic patterns.
  • Maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle ahead. 

For more Work Zone Awareness Week information, safety tips, and resources, please visit FDOT.gov/WorkZone. 

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