Villa Park manager and officer warn drivers about construction-zone violations

Mike Rivas, the Village of Villa Park manager, used a manager’s minute to urge drivers to slow down and follow directions in work zones as spring construction picks up. He introduced Officer Anthony Blake to outline common violations and penalties.

Officer Anthony Blake said construction zones are “marked with plenty of signage” and that the most frequent violations involve disobeying traffic-control devices and signage. “If there's flaggers in the road and you disobey a flagger, you can get cited for that,” Blake said, listing failure to obey flaggers and ignoring street-closed or one-way signage among common offenses.

Blake also warned about speeding in work zones: drivers caught at sufficiently high excess speeds face elevated enforcement, which he said could include a class A misdemeanor arrest in the most serious cases. He noted handheld phone use while driving remains enforceable and can result in a citation.

The officer emphasized yielding to construction vehicles, instructing drivers to “pay attention and adhere to the yellow flashing lights” because those vehicles have the right of way at active work sites. “So other than that, it could get pretty expensive if you don't do what you're supposed to do,” Blake said.

Rivas and Blake closed the manager's minute with a brief personnel tribute: Blake publicly recognized Officer Carlos Cruz, who is retiring after 20 years of service (badge number 348). Rivas ended by urging residents to “take care” and to “stay safe.”