On September 8, 2000, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Employee Memorial was formally established to honor those state employees who have lost their lives in work zones or elsewhere while performing their duties.
These individuals are commemorated each year in an annual remembrance ceremony held at the memorial, which is located on the campus of the NJDOT headquarters in Ewing Township (about six miles [9.7 kilometers] from the Garden State’s capital city of Trenton). In the time since the introduction of the NJDOT Employee Memorial, the annual remembrance ceremonies there have also honored those who lost their lives in the horrific terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and also military personnel and veterans; members of the law enforcement workforce; and emergency responders from both NJDOT and the New Jersey State Police.
The significance of the NJDOT Employee Memorial was underscored by James S. Simpson, who served as the department’s commissioner from 2010 to 2014, during the annual remembrance ceremony that also marked the 10th anniversary of the memorial. “As much as our Memorial honors our fallen, it also acknowledges the living,” said Simpson. “It represents a commitment to transportation . . . a commitment to safety . . . a commitment to the highest standards of public service. The words at the base of the Memorial reflect this: Service, Dedication, and Sacrifice.”
Simpson also used this occasion to single out James Weinstein, who was NJDOT commissioner between 1998 and 2001, for his leadership in making the memorial a full-fledged reality. “We’re here because of that step taken by Jim,” noted Simpson. “With Jim’s support, a 20 member committee made up of NJDOT employees spearheaded the design and construction of this beautiful memorial. Special tribute goes to former NJDOT employees John Spedding, Steve Cook, Nancy Claraffoli and Frank Bocchini who all worked hard to advance the Memorial Project.”
The NJDOT Employee Memorial has remained a powerful and poignant testimonial to those who paid the ultimate price while working for the public good on New Jersey’s highways – something that was very in evidence throughout the 23rd annual remembrance ceremony on September 11, 2023. Dianne Gutierrez-Scaccetti, who served as NJDOT commissioner from 2018 to 2024, took time during the ceremony to emphasize the vital need to further reduce roadwork-related fatalities and injuries. “Work zone safety is a priority at NJDOT and baked into everything we do,” she asserted. Gutierrez-Scaccetti also amplified her motto in this regard: “Everyone goes home every night.”
Gutierrez-Scaccetti also highlighted five employees of the New Jersey Highway Department (predecessor of NJDOT) who were killed on the job in the 1940s and whose names had finally been added in 2023 to the names of other fallen workers included on the memorial’s wall. These individuals were Walter Eckert, William Kays, Jeremiah O’Brien, Joseph Platt, and Arthur Reinhardt. Eric Schwarz, NJDOT research librarian, found their names as part of a digitization project undertaken by the department. “The deaths of these five men are a reminder that distracted and impaired driving is a deep-rooted issue in this country, a danger that has existed for over a century,” said Gutierrez-Scaccetti during her speech.
Photo Credit: Glenn Catana, Office of Communications, NJDOT
For more information on the NJDOT Employee Memorial, please check out https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/2023/09/18/annual-remembrance-ceremony/
A video of the 2021 (21st) annual remembrance ceremony at the memorial is available at https://archive.org/details/njdot-2021-memorial-video
Transportation History 
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