September 24, 2025
By Lane Kimble
APPLETON — Bob Ritter had no problem agreeing to be the face of WTBA’s newest work zone safety campaign.
He didn’t hesitate when asked if we could plaster a picture of him and sons, Jayden (6) and Elias (6 months), on a 48-foot-wide billboard along I-41 near Appleton. Then, he realized, he should make a call first.
“I had to get permission from my wife,” Ritter laughed.
Thankfully, Amber Ritter was on board, too.
Tuesday, WTBA, WisDOT and law enforcement partners thanked the Ritters for their efforts while urging drivers to travel carefully through work zones. The message was part of the Northeast Region’s Work Zone Safety Event, which was the final of six throughout the 2025 season.
“I can’t imagine them not having a dad to come home to at the end of the day in school,” Ritter told several reporters at the news conference. “I think that’s one of the biggest reasons I’m out here doing this.”
WTBA developed the billboard idea this spring, took pictures with Ritter and his kids at the Northland Avenue interchange in June, and sent the art to print in July.
“It’s impossible to know if our billboards have been a success, but I have to believe seeing this young family has to get somebody, at least one person, to slow down, put the phone down and pay attention,” WTBA Director of Communications Lane Kimble said. “For them, it’s not just a nice message; they’re real people with real livest’s their stories at stake.”
The event marks the end of the third straight year WTBA and WisDOT have partnered to expand work zone safety messaging from one week in April to six months throughout the spring, summer and fall.
Last year, 10 people died and more than 750 people were injured in work zone crashes in Wisconsin. Two WTBA-member employees were among those killed in crashes.
“If we can even change a couple of minds to get off their phones, and pay a little more attention, and all our coworkers and brothers and sisters can get home at the end of the night, I think it’s great,” Ritter said.
