PennDOT event at at I-79 welcome center cautions motorists of construction zone safety

KIRBY – Travelers passing through the Interstate 79 welcome center near Kirby for a break in their drive Friday were given reminders to stay safe before hitting the road again.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation hosted the safety day to raise awareness of work zone safety, the second of its kind in the southwestern region.
“Driver behavior is something they have to change, said Jay Ofsanik, PennDOT safety press officer. “We’re just trying to instill an idea.”
This is the first year PennDOT has hosted these sorts of awareness campaigns in this part of the state, Ofsanik said. After successful campaigns at centers in central Pennsylvania, the department rolled out the events to other locations. Their first stop in this area was at the welcome center on Interstate 70 near Claysville. Ofsanik said PennDOT plans to turn it into an annual event.
On-site from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. were representatives from state police, PennDOT, the state DUI memorial and first responders with Waynesburg/Franklin and Mt. Morris volunteer fire departments.
The goal is that even if people don’t stop to experience the presentation, the visual indicators will remind people to slow down for first responders and construction zones, Ofsanik said. They’re not trying to delay anyone’s travels, he said, but to get motorists to pause and pay attention.
The focus was on summer travel safety, especially work zone and motorcycle safety.
With a plethora of construction projects starting in Greene and surrounding counties, another reminder of the steer-clear law can always be helpful. The law requires drivers to move over or slow down as they pass an emergency vehicle, traffic stop or disabled vehicles. A compressed work zone display featured signs and flaggers.