I-35W Bridge To Be Lit Orange In Honor Of Workers' Memorial Day

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Governor Mark Dayton has ordered the Interstate-35W bridge to be lit orange Thursday in honor of Workers' Memorial Day.

Workers' Memorial Day, recognized on April 28, was created to honor the employees of Minnesota Department of Transportation who died while on the job.

According to MnDOT, since 1960 49 people have died while working on projects in Minnesota; 34 employees and 15 private sector contractors.

"Recognizing the men and women who have lost their lives while working on Minnesota's highways is an important reminder for motorists as crews are again busy on more than 240 construction projects statewide," MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle said in a recent press release. "We want all of our workers to safely return to their families at the end of each day."

To commemorate the day, the Central Office in St. Paul and the Metro District in Roseville will have a day-long silent commemorations.

Offices in Mankato and Rochester had commemorations earlier Thursday morning.

MnDOT is also taking this opportunity to remind drivers to be careful while traveling through construction zones.

In 2015, there were 1,684 crashed in work zones and 10 motorists died as a result of those crashes.