Hochul dedicates, unveils highway workers memorial at New York State Fair

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WHEC) — Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a new memorial honoring fallen highway workers at the New York State Fair Sunday.

The new memorial, which is located near the midway entrance and west of the Horticulture Building on the fairgrounds, pays tribute to all transportation workers killed while performing their job duties on or near New York’s thousands of miles of highways, including State Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority employees, municipal highway workers, contractors, consultants and towing service employees.

According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2003-2017, 1,844 workers have lost their lives at road construction sites across the United States, averaging 123 per year. The State Department of Transportation alone has lost 56 workers during its existence.

You can watch the unveiling in its entirety in the video player above.