Published September 23, 2004, in issue 0338 of the Hook

BY CHRIS GRAHAM

You're familiar with monuments to soldiers, emergency-service providers, and law-enforcement personnel and others in public service who have given their lives for the sake of the common good.

But what about highway workers?

"In our own way, we are bringing these people back home to their VDOT family, and forever recognizing their ultimate sacrifice," Virginia Department of Transportation commissioner Philip Shucet said Friday, September 17, in dedicating a monument on the east side of Afton Mountain to VDOT workers who died in the line of duty.

The monument is located in Albemarle on the second Interstate 64 scenic overlook four miles east of the Crozet exit, overlooking the rolling hills of Greenwood.

The structure is a memorial to 124 highway department employees who died of job-related causes dating back to the 1930s.

It was built with $168,000 raised privately from VDOT employees, family members, businesses, and other entities across the Commonwealth.

The monument-- a gray, black, and white granite wall with three silhouettes representing profiles of VDOT employees and rows of employees' names in random order-- was designed by Stephanie Lee, the daughter of VDOT Fredericksburg District engineer Harry Lee. Her design was selected from among 41 concepts submitted by VDOT employees.

New monument on the mountain
PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER

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