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Clare Welcome Center to host National Work Zone Memorial starting July 2

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - For the fifth consecutive year, the Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT)Clare Welcome Center will host the National Work Zone Memorial over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. This special memorial honors the lives of more than 1,600 road workers, motorists, pedestrians, law enforcement officers, public safety officials and children who have been killed in work zone crashes throughout the United States. The memorial will be displayed July 2-13.

“We ask that every driver understand the enormous responsibility they have when behind the wheel,” said State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich. “Reducing distractions, driving at the posted speed limit and respecting work zones will help ensure that everyone traveling our roadways makes it to their destination. Even one name on this memorial is too many and every year more are added. Let’s all commit to doing our part to improve safety.”

Nearly 2.6 million Michiganders are expected to travel during the Fourth of July week, continuing a busy summer travel season. As summer travel picks up, drivers will see more road work and orange barrels across Michigan. After years of underinvestment, long-needed improvements to roads and bridges are finally happening. MDOT urges motorists to stay alert, slow down and drive safely, especially near work zones.

For MDOT, work zone safety remains a top priority for workers, drivers and their passengers, and all road users. Michigan documented more than 6,000 work zone crashes in 2025. Among those crashes, 25 lives were lost, including 22 motorists and three construction workers. Already in 2026, MDOT has lost two dedicated transportation maintenance workers to a work zone crash, and the Branch County Road Commission lost a worker mowing alongside a state trunkline.

Unveiled in 2002 by the American Traffic Safety Services (ATSS) Foundation, the National Work Zone Memorial is a living tribute to the memory of the lives lost in work zones. As the memorial travels throughout the United States, it raises awareness for work zone safety and safe driving practices by displaying the names of those killed in work zone crashes. The memorial is 20 feet wide and stands 7 feet tall and is available to anyone interested in increasing work zone safety awareness. A new virtual memorial is also available to use at no cost.

Costs for hosting the memorial July 2 – July 13 at the Clare Welcome Center are sponsored by Carrier & Gable. 

National Work Zone Awareness Week Memorial display and citizen viewing.