INDOT’s New Roadway Worker Safety Initiative: Project Greenlight

STATEWIDE — The Indiana Department of Transportation is taking a high visibility approach to protecting its roadside crews through a new safety initiative dubbed Project Greenlight.

By equipping highway workers with Guardian Angel safety lights, compact, wearable devices that emit flashing green patterns, the agency aims to cut through visual clutter of standard construction zones and nighttime traffic. These lights offer 360-degree visibility and, when paired with traditional high-visibility vests, have been shown to make workers up to 89% more visible to passing drivers. The choice of color is a deliberate piece of science, as bright green is the most easily processed hue by the human eye at long distances and stands out distinctly against the amber and white lights typically found on service vehicles.

“Studies show drivers are more likely to move over and slow down when they see these green lights in work zones,” INDOT Commissioner Lyndsay Quist said . “The safety of our team is always our top priority as they make improvements to Indiana’s infrastructure, and we hope this small tool will have a big impact.”

INDOT began piloting the green safety lights in fall 2025 within the three Hoosier Helper patrol areas: Northwest Indiana near Gary, Indianapolis metropolitan area, and Southeast Indiana near Louisville, and within highway maintenance crews in the Indianapolis Subdistrict and various crews throughout the state. 

Roughly 375 lights will be distributed across Indiana, with the INDOT Northwest District leading the rollout. INDOT Highway Technicians and Hoosier Helpers are encouraged to activate the lights during nighttime shifts or whenever the elements, like Heavy Indiana fog, rain, or snow, make the road a more dangerous place to work.

Green safety lights were brought to INDOT through its Innovation and Process Improvement Division. One of INDOT’s core values is innovation as the agency looks to challenge the status quo through creative thinking and new technologies to keep Hoosiers safe.