Caltrans remembered the deaths of its employees at the 23rd annual Workers Memorial Day today at the State Capitol.
The ceremony comes eight days after two Caltrans workers were killed by a rockslide during a stabilization job near Yreka.
“The workers memorial is a reminder that safety is a year-round priority,” Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty said.
Last month, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol began installing signs across the state as part of the Move Over law.
The signs remind drivers to move over or slow down for highway employees, law enforcement and emergency workers.
“What we do is important to California, but nothing is more important than the safety of our workers and the public,” Dougherty said.
The number of Caltrans employees who have died during highway construction or maintenance jobs now totals 180.
Caltrans is working with the California Transportation Foundation to develop the Workers Assistance and Memorial Fund and the Caltrans Fallen Workers Memorial Scholarship, which benefit families of highway workers killed on the job.
