The New York State Department of Transportation this week is sending warning notices to at least 3,500 drivers for speeding through 176 work zones in the past month.
Sixty of those drivers were going faster than 80 miles per hour, said Joe Morrissey, DOT spokesman. One was driving 99 mph.
The New York State Thruway Authority has also clocked someone gone as fast as 99 mph in a work zone. That agency is sending warning notices to 775 drivers its cameras caught speeding in work zones.
The state is sending the first batch of warning letters this week as part of a new pilot program that uses radar cameras to catch people speeding in work zones. The state DOT has 20 cameras to set up along highways in active work zones when highway workers are working.
The cameras are attached to a vehicle and are not permanent fixtures. The DOT lists possible camera locations for the week on its website.
The New York State Thruway has 10 cameras.
For the first month of the program, the state sent warning notices only. That ends next week. If the cameras catch you after May 17, you’ll get a ticket with a real fine.
The drivers nabbed so far would have been fined at least a combined $214,000.
The fines cost $50 for the first violation, $75 for the second violation and $100 for three or more violations within 18 months of the first one. No points are added to driver records.
The state sends notices to New York residents within 14 days of the violation. Notices to out-of-state drivers are mailed within 45 days.
If you don’t pay your fines, you will have trouble renewing your registration.
In 2021, the state DOT and Thruway Authority reported 378 work zone intrusions, which means a vehicle entered the part of the road closed for construction. More than 50 times, the driver or a worker were injured.
In September that year, Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul signed a law that authorizes speed cameras in work zones for five years.
The law requires zones with cameras to have clear signs leading up to the work zone.
The system uses radar to identify speeding vehicles. That triggers cameras to take a series of images, including two photos of the back of the vehicle. The technology also collects the time, date, posted speed, vehicle speed, location, lane and direction of travel.
Drivers get 30 days after receiving the notice to fight the violation.
The state signed a contract with Verra Mobility to handle the program.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.