EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 Drivers traveling through active construction zones in Texas and New Mexico are being urged to slow down and stay alert as public safety agencies from both states team up to push work-zone safety.<\/p>\n
During a press conference on Monday, held to mark National Work Zone Awareness Week from April 20-24, partners including the New Mexico Department of Transportation, New Mexico State Police, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the El Paso Police Department highlighted work zone safety and the risks faced by road crews working near live traffic.<\/p>\n
Public safety officials called on drivers to “slow down, stay alert, and scan for signs when entering work zones on public roads to avoid preventable crashes and fatalities,\u201d noting that highway work often happens \u201cjust inches away from speeding traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Authorities also highlighted crash data from construction zones in 2025 as part of their push for safer driving.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2025, there are more than 28,000 traffic crashes in Texas work zones. Resulting in 203 deaths, seven were work-side workers,\u201d said Victor Anchondo of the Texas Department of Public Safety.<\/p>\n
Organizers noted that most people killed in work zone crashes were drivers and their passengers, emphasizing that cautious driving through work zones protects motorists as well as workers.<\/p>\n
New Mexico State Police Officer Cynthia Butler emphasized that the message applies everywhere drivers encounter road work.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegardless of state, regardless of road, drivers should always drive with care. Pay extra attention in work zones,\u201d Butler said.<\/p>\n
New Mexico road and public safety officials also said they plan to reintroduce a bill to legislators that would install cameras in work zones, after the proposal was not approved by the state last year. <\/p>\n
RECOMMENDED: TxDOT road closures happening between April 19 through April 27<\/a><\/p>\n