The Indiana Department of Transportation says that construction season is officially underway as orange cones and barrels sprout up on area highways and roads.

According to the agency, INDOT will be taking part in just over 1,000 construction projects this year. The state is investing more than $2.8 billion in infrastructure improvements including preventative maintenance. That includes 623 bridges being replaced or rehabilitated, nearly 6,000 lane miles of pavement being resurfaced or replaced and 189 projects to improve traffic flow and safety.

INDOT announced a new initiative related to safety, renewing the agency’s focus on safer roadways and work zones in Indiana. Starting this fall, INDOT will be implementing a speed control pilot program in work zones. The goal is to improve safety both for motorists and workers in the work zones.

INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith said the agency’s larger goal is to reduce fatalities and incapacitating injuries on Indiana roadways by 25 percent in the next decade. That includes reducing work zone incidents by 5 percent.

He urges drivers to slow down in work zones, to wear seatbelts and to put your phone down.