Sponsors
The bill aims to reduce work‑zone crashes and better protect construction workers through enforcement, training, and technology pilots, but it reallocates limited §402 funds and may increase enforcement actions and administrative costs, trading broader local safety funding and civil‑liberties concerns for targeted work‑zone safety gains.
Drivers and other road users (including licensed drivers and commuters) are likely to see fewer work‑zone crashes, injuries, and fatalities because federal funding supports enforcement, education, and safety technologies.
Construction workers will gain better on‑site protection through funded training, certification, and intrusion‑mitigation measures.
Tribal governments and rural communities will receive prioritized assistance for work‑zone safety improvements, increasing investment in underserved locations.
State and local highway safety programs could have less funding for other priorities because portions of §402 funds may be used for work‑zone activities.
Drivers—especially those passing through work zones—may face increased policing and traffic stops as enforcement overtime and equipment are funded, raising civil‑liberties and cost concerns.
States may incur new administrative and implementation costs for training, data collection, and independent evaluations, creating budgetary burdens for state governments and taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows states to use Section 402 highway safety grant funds for work‑zone safety activities and requires a federal study on program effectiveness within two years.
Introduced September 18, 2025 by Timothy Patrick Sheehy · Last progress September 18, 2025
Allows states to use portions of existing federal highway safety grant funds to reduce crashes, injuries, and deaths in and near highway work zones through enforcement, driver education, technology pilots, training/certification, and data/evaluation. States must carry out these activities under their approved triennial highway safety plans and give priority to Tribal governments and rural areas. The bill also directs the Comptroller General to study and report on the effectiveness of work zone safety programs, including this new authority, within two years.