DelDOT Accepting Brick Orders For The Delaware Highway Memorial Garden

Smyrna -- Recently, Governor Jack Markell and Secretary of Transportation Carolann Wicks held the Department of Transportation's annual Work Zone Safety Event at the Delaware Highway Memorial Garden at the Smyrna Rest Area. The event was to remember and honor those who lost their lives in the line of duty serving the residents of Delaware.

The Delaware Highway Memorial Garden was not only an appropriate place to hold such an event, it is a place that has special meaning to many who have lost loved ones in traffic fatalities. Currently the garden contains over 500 personalized bricks. Each one representing a person who lost their life on a Delaware roadway.

To honor the memories of all those who have perished on our roadways, DelDOT wants to again encourage the public to order a personalized brick in memory of a loved one.

There is no cost for the brick, and the death must have occurred on a Delaware roadway. Brick orders are verified through the Delaware State Police and/or the Office of Vital Statistics. Only one personalized brick per deceased individual is permitted.

One of the goals of the Memorial Garden is to educate the public that roadside memorials are illegal under Delaware's Clear Zone Safety Law, and at times pose a safety hazard to motorists. By ordering an engraved brick, the garden provides a personal, safe, and maintenance-free way to remember a loved one.

The garden provides families of lost loved ones the opportunity to enjoy the peacefulness of the garden as they remember their lives together and move forward toward healing.

In addition, DelDOT notes that the garden serves as a daily reminder to everyone to drive safely. The Memorial Garden is just one of the ways DelDOT is increasing awareness and education in an effort to keep Delaware motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists safe.

DelDOT invites the public to explore the 11,000 square foot garden located on the grounds of the Smyrna Rest Area at 5500 DuPont Highway in Smyrna, Delaware. The garden contains a creative blend of native trees, shrubs and flowering plants. A concrete pathway outlined with personalized bricks gives the garden significant meaning and character. Also benches are placed throughout the garden for visitors' use.

For those interested in ordering a free brick, please contact DelDOT Public Relations at 302-760-2080 or (in-state) 800-652-5600 or go online to www.deldot.gov/Community Program and Services/Delaware Highway Memorial Garden.