"It is with mixed emotions that we unveil this memorial to fallen PENNDOT employees," said Mallory. "While we are proud to be honoring the brave men and women who have died while in the line of duty, our hearts are heavy when we think about the families affected by these senseless deaths."
The memorial is a life-size, bronze sculpture of a child playing with a toy truck. Near the child is a male PENNDOT worker who is holding a hard hat outstretched near the child. There also is a female PENNDOT worker who is holding a stop/slow paddle.
The memorial was sculpted and designed by John McCombie, a Clymer, Indiana County, native. PENNDOT employees are contributing to the cost of the memorial.
"This sculpture is a piece of art that will have different meanings to different people," noted Mallory. "But the underlying goal of the project is to serve as a way to help families of fallen PENNDOT workers heal. Also, the sculpture serves as a lasting reminder that being a highway worker is a dangerous profession."
PENNDOT chose 1970 as the start date because that is when the Pennsylvania Department of Highways evolved to become the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
The memorial was placed adjacent to the M. Harvey Taylor Bridge in Harrisburg, along the banks of the Susquehanna River.