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The death of one road worker and the injury of two others over the past week have prompted the Oregon Department of Transportation to warn people to slow down in construction zones. “People are waiting in line and they get impatient and try to break the line,” said Dave Thompson, spokesman for ODOT. Jackson County is abuzz with road construction work right now, from the Highway 62 bypass to chip sealing of roads. Thompson said ODOT is trying to get the word out that motorists need to pay attention to construction zones. Even passing someone on a road that has been chip sealed and exceeding the posted 30 mph speed limit could land you a ticket. Every year, there are more than 500 accidents in construction zones, though not all of them result in injuries. “On average, we have more than one a day,” Thompson said. On the evening of Aug. 14, workers were repaving state Highway 11 north of Pendleton when a vehicle driven by Leman Bledsoe, 76, of Milton-Freewater allegedly sideswiped a car and hit Tyresa Monaghan, 49, of Kennewick, Washington, according to Oregon State Police. Monaghan, who was a flagger, died at the scene. Bledsoe was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants, recklessly endangering a highway worker and other charges. A second flagger was seriously injured in a construction zone crash south of Monmouth on Aug. 15. Another flagger was injured in Washington state Friday night. ODOT is lighting up some Oregon bridges with orange lights to alert people about construction work zone dangers. The Union Street Pedestrian Bridge in Salem is among those turned orange. Thompson said ODOT is trying to get the word out that people need to have patience when proceeding through construction zones. In some cases, motorists impatient over delays have tried to cut around construction zones, endangering workers and other motorists, he said. “A driver has some responsibility to keep people safe,” Thompson said. “We do appreciate people’s patience.” Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm . The video below is courtesy of the Oregon Department of Transportation .