All Minnesota Department of Transportation staff are taking a moment to pause Monday following the deaths of two contractors last week.

Commissioner of Transportation Nancy Daubenberger directed all staff to observe a mandatory safety stand down. Workers both in the office and out in the field will take a moment to honor lives lost and reflect on the department's work to ensure everyone on the job returns home safely.

MnDOT says the safety stand down provides a moment to mourn as an organization and recommitt to safety standards.

Two workers were killed in construction zone crashes within the last week. Twenty-nine-year-old Pierre Mack died Wednesday after a boom truck hit him on Interstate 35W in Burnsville. The next day, 25-year-old Adam Smith was killed while working in Map

See Full Page