LEES SUMMMIT – The public is invited to attend the Missouri Department of Transportation’s 10th annual Big Truck Night from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 3, at its District Office at 600 NE Colbern Road in Lee’s Summit, MO. Big Truck Night is a fun way to help kick off Work Zone Awareness Week which runs April 3-7.
Big Truck Night gives people of all ages the opportunity to see MoDOT equipment up close and speak directly to some of the department’s employees. Visitors can tour maintenance trucks and other equipment, play games, see various demonstrations, meet Buckle Bear, Barrel Bob and other guests. The goal of the event is to educate attendees on the importance of keeping crews safe while they work on our roadways, as well as motorists who travel through work zones.
“Our ultimate goal is to get everyone to their destination safely – whether that be those traveling in our area or our workers on the roadways,” said MoDOT Kansas City District Engineer Don Wichern. “Events like Big Truck Night are a great way to show everyone what we do and raise awareness so hopefully we can keep all of us a little safer out there.”
Between 2010 and 2016, 2,383 people were injured in Missouri work zones on state routes and an additional 784 on the county or local roads, for a total of 3,167 injuries. Since 2000, 18 MoDOT employees have been killed in the line of duty. The most common causes of work zone related crashes are distracted driving and speeding.
For more information about MoDOT news, projects or events, please visit our website at www.modot.mo.gov/kansascity. For instant updates, follow MoDOT_KC on Twitter, or share posts and comments on our Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoDOT.KansasCity. MoDOT Kansas City maintains more than 7,000 miles of state roadway in nine counties. Sign up online for workzone updates or call 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636).