On Route 220 in Henry County Sunday evening, Virginia State Trooper M.L. Gravely stopped to assist the driver of a disabled vehicle.
Moments later, Gravely spotted a vehicle veering toward him and the driver, so he pushed the driver over the guardrail and he followed. Both sustained minor injuries. The driver of the oncoming vehicle struck the trooper’s patrol car and was taken a nearby hospital.
The driver of the oncoming vehicle was looking at his cell phone when the incident happened.
Such situations are why Virginia began Work Zone Awareness Week in 1997, which became a national week of recognition. In 2004, with private funding, a memorial was built on the eastbound side of Interstate 64 before Crozet exit 107 to remember Virginia Department of Transportation workers killed in work zones.
The theme for 2025 is “Respect the zone so we all get home.”
“The threat to all of us is real,” said Virginia State Trooper Lt. Col. T. Taylor, a second-generation trooper and 30-year police veteran, Wednesday afternoon at an annual vigil held at the memorial on I-64. Taylor is VSP Director of the Bureau of Field Operations.
Taylor told the story of what happened to Gravely Sunday night.
Taylor, who grew up at the foot of Afton Mountain and now patrols 70,000 miles of highway and leads 1,700 officers, said his grandfather was a career VDOT employee.
VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich said at the vigil that Gravely’s incident and another incident in Washington County are “stark reminders for why we constantly emphasize work zone safety not only today, but throughout the year.”
VDOT has held vigils at the memorial for 20 years.
“Behind me are the names of the workers who never made it home, never made it home to their families, their loved ones, or the things that they loved to do the most. They paid the ultimate sacrifice,” Brich said.
Brich added that humans live busy, fast-paced lives, but no excuse exists for speeding through work zones.
Virginia Secretary of Transportation W. Sheppard “Shep” Miller III said that the annual vigil is one of his favorite events to attend every year, but also his least favorite.
“It’s the worst thing, because we shouldn’t be here at all. Right? This is somewhat ridiculous that we have to be here, that we have this situation,” Miller said.
He said every day he is “just totally shocked and perplexed” by statistics of crashes on Virginia‘s roads, which sometimes are in work zones and cause the deaths of VDOT employees.
Miller was in Washington, D.C. on January 29 when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 at Reagan National Airport. Miller said the crash, which killed 67, was “horrific,” but that is what VDOT sees on Virginia‘s highways every month. More than 67 die every month on highways in Virginia.
“And it’s just unconscionable,” Miller said.
He said he likes the profiles of the three VDOT workers in granite on the memorial: white, black, gray, because they represent the workforce’s diversity. A fourth profile symbolizes the missing VDOT worker who went out to work one day and did not return home.
“Work zones are in place for a reason,” Miller said. “We mark these zones with orange cones, flashing lights, signage and reduced speeds, because these work zones are where crews spend their days building the critical infrastructure that supports our quality of life here in the Commonwealth.”
The driver who struck Gravely’s patrol car did not make a mistake that day, he made a decision.
Gordon Dixon, Executive Vice President of the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance (VTCA), said that 3,338 crashes, 1,389 injuries and 13 fatalities have happened in Virginia work zones since last year’s vigil. James Nunley Jr. of Marion, who died on Interstate 81 in Washington County on April 14, was a 43-year-old father, brother, son, uncle, friend and fiance. He was also a VDOT employee.
The majority of car crashes in work zones, according to Dixon, happen on shoulders or while a VDOT vehicle is backing up.
“Please be vigilant and cautious,” Dixon said. “Today, we gather, not just in remembrance but in solemn gratitude.”
Virginians are encouraged to observe a moment of silence at 10 a.m. EST on Friday, April 25, in remembrance of VDOT workers who have been killed in work zones. The issue is not unique to Virginia, which is why Work Zone Awareness Week became a national week of awareness.
“Work zone safety is not just a matter of traffic signs or cones, it’s about the people,” Dixon said. “It’s about the men and women who brave the elements of the traffic risks to keep our infrastructure functioning and our economy moving.”
Dixon said that behind every hard hat is a human being, someone’s family, someone’s future.
DRIVE SMART Virginia Executive Director Kristin Pettway said that 90 percent of drivers are driving more than five miles over the posted speed limit in work zones. Forty percent are speeding more than 10 miles over the posted speed limit.
The memorial contains 134 names. Pettway said that highway deaths and injuries are “completely unacceptable” and preventable.
“Let’s make every effort to ensure another name is never added to this VDOT memorial,” Pettway said.
The VDOT workers memorial design was by Stephanie Lee, a studio arts senior at Mary Washington College. Her design was chosen out of 41 submitted. Her father, Harry Lee, was the Fredericksburg District Location and Design Engineer.
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Rebecca Barnabi
