April 21, 2026

By Lane Kimble

APPLETON — When Chad Heyduk looks at his coworkers–the men and women who he works to keep safe–he sees his family.

“We’re not just family owned, but all of our employees are part of the Vinton Construction family,” Heyduk said.

“Many of our employees have been with us for generations.”

Several of those Vinton family members joined Heyduk and dozens of other contractors from companies such as Forward Traffic, Lunda, Michels, and Zignego Company at WisDOT’s Work Zone Awareness Week kickoff event in Appleton on Monday.

It’s a week dedicated to protecting people who put their lives on the line every day, working to make the state a better place.

“Our number one goal is simple: every employee goes home at the end of the day in the same condition they came to work in. That’s not just a policy, it’s a promise. One that we take personally,” Heyduk said.

Heyduk wants drivers across Wisconsin to adopt that mindset, too. That may be easier said than done.

Seven people were killed and more than 600 were hurt in the 2,071 work zone crashes in Wisconsin last year. There was a crash in a work zone once every four hours on average.

“These are not just numbers, they represent lives that are changed forever, including families that don’t get their loved ones home at the end of the day,” WisDOT Secretary Kristina Boardman said.

In conjunction with WTBA, State Patrol, and local partners, WisDOT is leaning into technology to try and help in 2026.

The department is launching a work zone safety pilot study, looking at how  automated speed and backup message boards, mobile work zone warning trucks, and boosted police patrols impact driver behavior.

Still, the responsibility ultimately falls on the people behind the wheel–not the barrels–to change how they view their actions, putting their focus, as Heyduk does, on family first.

“Don’t just see a vest.  See a person,” Heyduk said.  “See a parent, a child, a spouse, a friend.  Please show our team members the respect they deserve.”