Published: September 25, 2008 09:07 pm         

New monument honors TDOT workers killed

Until today, the names of the 106 TDOT workers who have been killed building the state highway system were listed only in state paperwork. Now they are etched in stone.

At 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 24 Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely and family members of highway workers killed in the line of duty unveiled a large black granite monument at the I-40 Welcome Center in Smith County in honor of all the TDOT employees who lost their lives while building the state’s transportation system. The names on the list begin in 1948 when worker fatalities were first documented.

“We are grateful for the service and dedication of these 106 state employees who made the ultimate sacrifice for the good of our state,” said Governor Phil Bredesen. “This memorial serves as a permanent testament to their contributions to the state transportation system and is a reminder of the dangers all highway workers face each time they step onto the job.”

Nicely added, “Whether it’s a motorist, a trooper, contractor personnel or a TDOT employee, any time someone is killed on our highway system, it is tragic. We feel this memorial will serve as a place to remember the TDOT personnel who gave their lives working on the state’s highway system.”

The unveiling was attended by several family members of employees killed in the line of duty including current TDOT employee Jimmy McNeece whose 22-year-old son Jay was killed while working as part of a survey crew near Springfield. Martha Fish spoke to the crowd about her brother, Robert Fish, who was killed while picking up tire scraps on State Route 100 in Whiteville. Both men had taken all necessary safety precautions when they were hit and killed by a motorist.

No TDOT workers have been killed on the job since the crash that took Robert Fish’s life in 2005. Standing with the family members and with a highway crew from the Smith County TDOT facility, Nicely concluded, “This occasion should serve as a reminder that we must be vigilant in adhering to safety rules and promoting work zone awareness so that we never have to add another name to this memorial.”

Following the unveiling of the new memorial, TDOT Maintenance Director Greg Duncan read the names of all 106 TDOT employees memorialized on the stone. A plaque documenting the date of the official unveiling ceremony will be placed into the foot of the memorial to commemorate the day’s event.