National Work Zone Awareness Week runs April 19–23, 2027. It’s a five-day push to get drivers to slow down where road crews are working.
Mid-April, Every Spring
Every year, Monday through Friday, starting the third Monday of April, at the start of the busy road-building season. In 2026, it ran April 20 to 24.
Virginia’s transportation department started it as a local campaign in 1997. It went national in 2000 through a partnership of three groups: ATSSA, the Federal Highway Administration and the state DOTs’ association, AASHTO.
A different state hosts the national kickoff each year. Connecticut’s DOT took the role in 2026, after North Carolina in 2025.
From One District to the Nation
It began small. In 1997, staff in VDOT’s Bristol District in southwest Virginia held an internal work zone safety week.
Virginia went statewide the next year and pitched a national campaign to ATSSA, the American Traffic Safety Services Association.
California was moving too. In 1999, Caltrans launched its “Slow for the Cone Zone” campaign.
That December, the three groups agreed to create a national week together. The first national event was held in Springfield, Virginia, in 2000.
Kickoffs have moved around since. Hosts have included Sacramento in 2008, New York City in 2010 and Seattle in 2014.
Recent years shifted closer to the work itself. Toledo hosted in 2016. Hampton, Virginia, followed in 2022, then a site near Rocheport, Missouri, in 2023.
The pandemic broke the streak once. Michigan was set to host in 2020, but in-person events were canceled, and a scaled-back kickoff followed in 2021.
Some carry heavy meaning. The 2024 event took place at a Maryland bridge near where six roadway workers were killed in 2023.
Why Work Zones Need Attention
Deaths are real and steady. In 2023, 899 people died in work zone crashes, federal data show.
Most were travelers, not crews. That year, 705 drivers and passengers died in work zones.
Highway workers face the risk daily. BLS counted 82 worker deaths at road construction sites in 2023.
Injuries add up too, with about 39,000 reported in work zones that year.
NWZAW’s core message fits on a road sign: “use extra caution in work zones.”
FHWA has also released an updated fact sheet on work zone crashes, built on 2024 data.
How to Take Part
Each weekday has a job. Monday is training day, Tuesday brings the national kickoff, and Thursday is a coordinated social media push.
Go Orange Day falls on Wednesday. FHWA introduced it in 2016, and it marked its 10th year on April 23, 2025.
Agencies, contractors and safety groups add local events, which the campaign lists on a national calendar.
- Wear orange on Go Orange Day and share a photo with a safety message.
- Slow down and put your phone away whenever you see orange cones, barrels or flaggers.
- Leave extra room behind the car ahead in a work zone, since sudden stops are common.
- Join Friday’s moment of silence for the workers and travelers lost in work zones across the country.
- Talk with new teen drivers about how to merge early, watch for workers and follow flaggers’ signals.
- Thank a road crew member you see on the job, from a safe spot.
- Check the national events calendar for a work zone safety event near you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is National Work Zone Awareness Week a federal observance?
It’s a partnership campaign that includes a U.S. transportation agency among its founders.
Who hosted the 2026 kickoff?
Connecticut’s state transportation department.
Which city hosted the 2018 kickoff?
Chicago.
Who hosted the very first kickoff?
Virginia, at an event in Springfield.