CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — For construction workers toiling under the scorching sun, enduring the intense summer heat comes with the territory. However, it isn’t the only challenge they face these days.
Five weeks have passed since the tragic incident on I-74 in Champaign, where 65-year-old Steven Cornett lost his life during an overnight shift. His memory remains vivid in the minds of his fellow workers, shadowing their daily routines.
Increased vigilance and a noticeable police presence have become part of the scene for construction crews, who are balancing these safety measures with the demands of the job and the punishing heat.
“It’s rough. It’s really rough,” remarked Michael Bean, owner of Bien and Sons, a trucking firm based in Mansfield, as he described the challenging conditions facing his team.
Crews are working in the blazing sun in a construction zone, in clothes you probably wouldn’t want to wear with temperatures in the 90s.
“We wear a safety vest, a hard hat, steel toed boots and pants,” Bien said. “You’re not really supposed to have shorts. You’re not really supposed to have sleeveless t-shirts.”
He has been working on the construction zones on I-74 and I-57 near Champaign for five years.
Bien knows firsthand how hard it is to work a job like his during a heat wave.
Sometimes, they tuck away under a bridge to get some shade, but they don’t take breaks very often.
“They don’t mind if you stop and take a break, but you’ve got 25 trucks at the same time, loading in a constant loop,” Bien said. “So, you load, you run. Hopefully, you have air conditioning, or you can get some air in your truck because that’s about the only relief you have.”
He said that one thing people don’t always realize is how hot it gets when you’re standing on asphalt that has just been laid, or the black dirt where they’re cutting into the ground. Bien said it’s almost 20 degrees hotter there than it is anywhere else.
And while they’re trying to stay cool, they’re also trying to stay alert.
“The danger is an everyday thing, something we all try not to think about, but when you have cars that won’t slow down, which they still haven’t ever since the accident we had on I-74,” Bien said.
He’s talking about Cornett, who was hit and killed in May working the same construction zone as Bien.
“Something like that happens, it changes everything. Now, everybody is extra careful, extra cautious,” Bien said. “We’re watching the traffic a lot more than we were before and trying to be prepared if anything is to happen. We have what we call a jump zone, like ‘Where are you going to dive? I’m heading that way if something bad happens.’”
Whether it’s speeding cars or high heat, together they build, and together they return home.
“We try to keep an eye on each other, make sure everybody’s cool, but it’s just kind of a rule, watch your brother and watch the guy next to you,” Bien said.