Work Zones

The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) participated in the nationwide effort to promote 2005 Work Zone Awareness Week, April 3rd through 9th, with media promotions and enhanced law enforcement across Arkansas. The Governor issued a proclamation designating April 3rd through 9th, 2005, as Arkansas Work Zone Awareness Week. A media event on Monday, April 4th between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. demonstrated increased patrols and radar-assisted enforcement in an I-40 work zone in North Little Rock where speeding has been a significant problem and has resulted in a number of motorist complaints.

Throughout the week, the Arkansas Highway Police (AHP), a Division of the AHTD, conducted increased enforcement operations in work zones statewide. For the media event, a coordinated effort between the AHP, the contractor and the AHTD involved a radar equipped patrol officer who was positioned on construction equipment and disguised as a construction worker. The officer observed and recorded the speed of passing vehicles in an urban Interstate work zone and used radio communications to alert officers in chase vehicles of speeders to be stopped. AHP patrol officers enforced a zero tolerance policy for violating the speed limit and multiple motorists were often pulled over to the shoulder area at the same time. A series of eight changeable message boards positioned throughout the work zone displayed messages during the entire week that read, “WORK ZONE SAFETY WEEK, WATCH YOUR SPEED, RADAR ENFORCED.”

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