JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- A MoDOT maintenance crew leader found a unique way to bring attention to the need for people to drive safely in construction zones.
Jim and Theo Feeney walked a little more than 90 miles on the Katy Trail to raise awareness about road construction safety. They began in Weldon Spring and ended Tuesday in Jefferson City.
"We’re trying to show people to be aware of us when you're out on the roads. They’re running home to see their families and we want to get home to see our families at the end of the day too,” Walking for Road Construction Safety Jim Feeney said. “You know just be aware that we're there. Plus we're raising funds for the falling workers' memorial."
Feeney said they walked a little more than 20 miles a day to get to Jefferson City on time.
He said his feet and the rest of his body are sore, but not as bad as his wife's.
"You can workout like I’ve been working out 35 years and still you're feet, they're not use to treading 24 to 25 miles a day for three days, and then the fourth day eighteen. You’re going to get blisters, you're going to bleed, like I did,” Walking for Road Construction Safety Theo Feeney said.
Since the Feeney’s were doing this to raise awareness about road construction safety, I spoke to a road worker about the environment road crews work in.
He said it's not like you're regular office, you have to be aware of motorists at all times.
"We put up the signs and wear the safety equipment, but people get so use to driving around road construction that they forget you're out here. That’s the danger of having the signs up for a long time too, because people get use to it, and they stop paying attention,” Emery Sapp & Sons Project Manager Matt Osh said.
Osh said that sometimes when cars go by on the highway they get so close that you can feel the wind from the car tug on your clothes and almost pull you into the vehicle.
He said that he wishes everyone would just recognize that road workers are doing their job and not trying to make it an inconvenience for motorists.
For more information on work zone safety and the memorial click here.