The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is hosting the National Work Zone Awareness Week kickoff news conference at the Lance Corporal Leon Deraps I-70 Missouri River Bridge Project at Rocheport on April 18, making guests some of the first to walk on the new westbound bridge. The event, created to bring awareness to work zone hazards and remind drivers of the important role they play in work zone safety, will include remarks from the Federal Highway Administration as well as personal stories of impact from the daughter and granddaughter of a fallen MoDOT maintenance worker.

The event is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the west end of the new westbound bridges and is for raising awareness for work zone safety. Guests are asked to wear close-toed shoes, as it is an active worksite. Additional PPE will be provided.

For safety reasons, guests will only be allowed access to the event site via a MoDOT shuttle or escort.

Those who are shuttling to the event site will need to park at the Les Bourgeois Bistro located at 14020 West Highway B in Rocheport.

A parking attendant will direct individuals where to park, and a shuttle will be provided to the event site. After shuttles leave at 9:40, access to the event site will not be permitted.