INDEPENDENCE -- It's the time of year when we see orange barrels pop up along Ohio's highways.    

For many drivers, construction zones are nothing but an inconvenience. However, for the construction workers, it's where they do their job each day.
"This is our office," says Kerry Hart, a project superintendent for Kokosing Construction, the company in charge of the lane expansion project along Interstate 77.
"We have to trust the 140,000 cars that drive through here that they're paying attention because we're doing work in lanes," Hart says.
In 2008, there were 5,197 crashes in work zones along Ohio's highways. Fifteen people lost their lives in a work zone-related accident while 1,780 others were injured.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is taking part in this week's National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week by encouraging drivers to "Slow for the Cone Zone."
Hart has some simple advice for drivers: "Slow down and pay attention. A lot of problems would be solved."

© 2009 WKYC-TV