May 7, 2026

By Lane Kimble

Extra sets of eyes and cameras will keep close tabs on 10 construction projects this season, with the hope of making work zones safer across the state.

WisDOT walked contractors, project managers, and consultants through its new Work Zone Safety Pilot Project during a virtual meeting Thursday afternoon.

The study will analyze how various flagging setups and technologies impact driver awareness and attitudes around work zones.  WTBA successfully pushed to include $600,000 for the pilot in the 2025-27 state budget.

“I don’t think we ever have an event with WTBA where safety is not a topic,” WTBA Exec. Director Steve Baas told the group of about 65 attendees. “This is one additional way to put our money where our mouth is on the topic that is very important to all of us.”

The pilot is focused on 10 two-lane projects spread across each of the state’s five regions. Three other projects with standard flagging operations will serve as a control group.

Project sites include locations in Walworth, Green Lake, Calumet, Grant, Dunn, Polk and Lafayette counties.

Strategies include additional law enforcement presence, automated flagger devices, alert warning systems, digital speed reduction boards, and smart arrow boards connected to services such as Waze and 511.

Contractors on participating projects will need to fill out incident reports and weekly summaries, which the WisDOT-hired consultant company will use to supplement its observational, recorded and computerized data.

WisDOT intends to complete an internal review and report by the end of 2026. The department must submit a final report to the state Legislature by spring 2027.