National Work Zone Awareness Week: The Colorado DOT Employee Memorial Rock

In 2006, a memorial made out of marble was dedicated at the headquarters of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in Denver to honor those state employees who have lost their lives in work zones or elsewhere while performing their duties. The names of these fallen workers have been etched onto the CDOT Employee Memorial Rock, which is specifically located on the south plaza of the headquarters building and available for visits at any time throughout each day.

The source of this rock is the widely renowned Yule Quarries in the vicinity of the aptly named town of Marble in western Colorado. (The marble found in those quarries has also been used in the construction of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.) The following inscription has been engraved at the bottom of the CDOT Employee Memorial Rock: “In Memory and Honor of Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice.”

This memorial and the plaza containing it resulted from a project of the CDOT Employee Council. Those involved in this project included both current and former CDOT employees, members of their families, consultant partners, and contractors.

In the years since the CDOT Employee Memorial Rock was formally introduced to the public, it has become a focal point for commemorations of National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) each year. This was underscored by Shoshana Lew, who has served as executive director of CDOT since 2019, in a statement that she issued on April 20, 2026, to mark the start of this year’s observance of NWZAW in the Centennial State.

“Every day, our crews and contractor partners work just feet [meters] away from live traffic to keep Colorado’s roads safe and reliable,” said Lew. “Every name etched on our memorial rock represents a life lost — a colleague, a friend, a member of our CDOT family. National Work Zone Awareness Week is an important reminder that when drivers slow down and pay attention, they help ensure these workers can return home safely at the end of the day.”

Photo Credit: Colorado Department of Transportation

For more information on the CDOT Employee Memorial Rock, please check out https://www.codot.gov/about/employee-memorial