The Signs Will Also Promote Safe Driving Campaigns
Stockton — Caltrans District 10 today announced that it has unveiled a memorial sign at the Enoch Christofferson roadside rest area along southbound California State Route 99 near Merced to honor eight workers who have died in the line of duty and to encourage travelers to drive responsibly.
Similar memorial signs are being placed throughout the state. They were designed, manufactured, and installed by Caltrans workers to recognize the 191 highway workers who have been killed on the job since 1921. Every year, Caltrans employees, family members of fallen workers, and community members throughout California gather to honor these workers and to promote safe driving campaigns.
“Safety is Caltrans’ top priority,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “Lives are literally at stake every day. We hold a sacred duty to remember all the people who have lost their lives working with us, and I implore all Californians to please slow down and move over in every work zone, every time. A life may depend on it.”
The fallen workers from District 10 memorialized on the newly installed sign include:
- Jethro Cravens, Maintenance Worker, 1964
- Gilbert Gibeau, Equipment Operator, 1967
- William McLaughlin, Assistant Highway Engineer, 1969
- Harry Simons, Engineering Technician, 1977
- Roland Keller, Assistant Transportation Engineer, 1983
- Oscar Lanatta, Civil Engineer, 1990
- Chester Hawkins, Equipment Operator, 2004
- Donald Lichliter, Tree Maintenance Lead Worker, 2009
“We in District 10 have been fortunate to not have an employee die in the line of duty since 2009,” District 10 Director Dennis T. Agar said. “However, we know that can change at any time. That’s why we remain vigilant to be as safe as possible every day.”
With the passage of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 as well as Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, Caltrans and local agencies now have significant additional funds to repair and maintain California’s transportation system. The additional funding has increased the number of Caltrans employees and contractors working on the state highway system, further highlighting the importance for drivers to stay vigilant and aware.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, highway construction and maintenance work is one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States. In 2021, more than 9,500 work zone collisions occurred on California highways, resulting in an estimated 2,971 injuries and 73 fatalities. Nationally, drivers and passengers account for 85 percent of people who are killed in work zones.
In 2022, Caltrans announced a new Director’s Policy on Road Safety, which commits the department to the Safe System approach and reaffirms the vision of reaching zero fatalities and serious injuries on state highways by 2050. This policy takes steps to further a shift that began in 2020, when state transportation leaders recognized a bolder and more focused approach was necessary to combat the troubling rise in fatalities and serious injuries on California roads. The state’s 2020-24 Strategic Highway Safety Plan – managed by Caltrans and involving more than 400 stakeholders – was updated to include the Safe System approach.
Caltrans has partnered with the California Transportation Foundation to develop two funds to benefit the families of Caltrans workers killed on the job. The Fallen Workers Assistance and Memorial Fund helps with the initial needs a surviving family faces and the Caltrans Fallen Workers Memorial Scholarship is available to the children of these workers. For more information or to make donations, visit the California Transportation Foundation.