MONONA — Like many highway department employees, James Porter got a kick out of the roadside artifacts he’d find in the course of his work.

His collection included hard hats that had blown out of various construction company vehicles. It was one of the lighter aspects of an otherwise dangerous job that ultimately took his life.

Porter, 61, of Monona, died June 4 after being struck by a pickup truck while working on a Dane County road maintenance crew. His death devastated his colleagues and heightened their anger over motorists who blaze through construction zones, often talking on cell phones.

At Porter’s visitation Friday in Monona, his co-workers wore safety vests, and a caravan of 37 highway department vehicles drove by the funeral home. The effort both honored Porter and sought to raise awareness of road crew safety.

“This is a human example of not paying attention,” said Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney, who attended the visitation. “Now there’s a name and a face to this issue.”

Police say Alan Borgardt, 59, of Oshkosh, rear-ended a highway truck parked in the left lane on Highway 151 near Sun Prairie, then struck Porter, who had just exited the truck.

Borgardt has not been charged, but Mahoney said Friday he “fully expects” his department will recommend charges once an accident reconstruction effort is completed.

Mahoney declined to be more specific about possible charges but said Porter’s death was “a direct result of a lack of attention and a failure to move over.”

State law requires drivers to move over to avoid workers and officials who have to stop or work on roads.

Every day since Porter’s death, Dane County sheriff’s deputies have been ticketing drivers for failing to follow the rules in construction zones.

“Traffic is going way too fast,” said Kurt Beutel, a Dane County highway department employee who knew Porter for 40 years. “People are reading the newspaper or working on computers while they’re driving.”

Friday’s processional on Monona Drive included vehicles from the counties of Winnebago, Columbia, Lafayette, Dane and Iowa. Porter had worked for Dane County for nearly two decades and leaves behind two children and two grandchildren.

They watched from a sidewalk but declined comment through a funeral home employee. Friends say Porter was safety conscious and loved his job, especially plowing snow.

His county vehicle — truck No. 4108 — was parked outside the funeral home, draped in black cloth and adorned with a wreath. His co-workers handed out bumper stickers that said “Move over or slow down.”

It’s the same slogan displayed on large signs on the back of county highway vehicles, including the one Porter was driving the day he was killed.