Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The deeper we get into spring and edge closer to summer, construction will start ramping up throughout the state of Minnesota, both on our state roads and on our locally maintained roads as well.

In Austin alone, we’re currently in year two of the three-year bridge reconstruction with detours remaining in place for the Fourth Avenue NW bridge, and construction expected to start soon on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 above the Cedar River and at Sixth Street NW.

In town, the City of Austin will begin its own multi-year project to replace the Oakland Avenue West and First Avenue West one ways.

And that’s not even mentioning yet the yearly maintenance of county roads.

With so much work centered in and around Austin set to begin or have begun, it’s worth reminding people to take it slow and carefully around work zones.

Every time the Minnesota Department of Transportation engages media and the public with a press release on upcoming projects, the department includes a list of safety tips when driving through construction zones:

• Obey posted speed limits. The fine for speeding in a work zone is $300.

• Drive undistracted. Avoid using phones, mobile devices, adjusting the radio – even eating – while in work zones.

• Move over. Give workers room to safely complete their work.

• Know before you go. Get real-time information about traffic and road conditions at 511mn.org or download the free 511mn app at Google Play or the App Store.

• Be patient. Expect delays, especially during peak travel times.

• Do the zipper merge.

• Avoid making unnecessary lane changes.

• Never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.

• Expect work zones to constantly change. Day to day you could experience lane shifts, closures, narrower lanes, moving workers and vehicles.

Construction zones, by their very nature, are congested and busy at almost every turn, drawing the driver’s attention in a multitude of directions at any given time. Lanes are sometimes condensed down to a smaller number of lanes or squeezed as crews work on any given project.

Trucks and equipment are moving in and out of work zones and workers themselves are walking alongside active areas of construction.

Construction crews do what they can to minimize the opportunities for accidents, but the very nature of the work can make this difficult, so it becomes important for drivers to take their own precautions when driving through these areas.

It only takes a singular drop in attention for something terrible to happen to both motorists and construction workers alike.

Choose safety and lean in on caution when driving through these work zones so we call get to where we’re going safely.