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Road Work Dangers

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – Dangers increase for state road crews

TULSA, Okla. (AP) Dangers are expected to increase for Oklahoma transportation crews as road and bridge projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act get under way.

The number of work zone accidents causing an injury or fatality in Oklahoma has increased almost every year since 2003, records show.

More injuries and injury-causing accidents happened in 2007 the most recent year complete data were available than any other year this decade. That year recorded the second-most highway work zone fatalities since 2000 with 21.

But it is likely those figures will increase. Federal economic stimulus projects have increased ODOT's yearly construction budget by about 50 percent. So far, the federal stimulus package has pumped about $360 million into the department's highway construction spending.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.