Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Workers Memorial Day was marked in Rochester with a ceremony Thursday morning at the Minnesota Department of Transportation District 6 headquarters.

MNDOT employees and others gathered to remember the six workers who have died while working on roads and highways in Olmsted County since 1960. Statewide, 34 MNDOT workers and 15 private contractors have died while on the job over the past 56 years.

The annual event is also part of an effort to remind motorists of the dangers faced by people working in construction zones and to urge them to slow down and provide extra space space for those workers.

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The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says the number of people killed on State Road since the beginning of this year has reached 100. Officials note the grim milestone was reached one day earlier than it was last year when the final traffic death toll exceeded 400 for the first time in at least five years. The list of victims of fatal crashes this year include a dozen pedestrians, six motorcyclists and one bicyclist.

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