Speeders beware: Work zone cameras are live

Beware work zone speeders: Cameras are watching.

Drivers going 11 mph or faster over the posted speed limit in an active work zone will be targeted by electronic devices through Pennsylvania’s new Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program.

Two timing devices were used around the state for 60 days during a mandated pre-enforcement period that wrapped up Wednesday. As winter wanes, 17 cameras will be deployed statewide — 10 on state roads and seven on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, said Jennifer Kuntch, PennDOT deputy communications director.

No locations in Southwestern Pennsylvania are listed on the program’s website as areas where the devices are set up.

“Enforcement is statewide and it’s just by chance that the cameras are mostly in central and eastern PA,” she said. “Units can only be present in active work zones where workers are present. With it being winter, we have less active work zones.”

State officials gathered data this year along the Boulevard of the Allies in Pittsburgh near the Duquesne University campus. A motorist spotted signs Wednesday warning of impending enforcement in a work zone on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Monroeville.

“These work zones will be in various types of projects and will initially focus on our interstate and other limited access work zones,” Kuntch said.

A law passed in 2018 authorized the cameras and requires at least two signs warning drivers they’re entering an automated ticketing area. The system records the speed at which the vehicle was traveling and an image of the license plate, according to PennDOT. Violations can then be mailed to the vehicle’s owner within 90 days.

Speeders busted for the first time will get a warning letter. A second offense brings a fine of $75, with third and subsequent offenses carrying a $150 penalty. The fines will be used to pay for the program.

Each camera system costs about $750 to run for one eight-hour shift, Kuntch said.

PennDOT officials hope to prevent crashes and improve safety for crews in work zones. In 2018, there were more than 1,800 work zone crashes in Pennsylvania and 23 people died.

“Ultimately, this program is not about issuing violations, it’s about saving lives,” said department Secretary Yassmin Gramian.

Statistics could be released in the coming weeks about the pre-enforcement period, Kuntch said. No violations or warning letters were issued while the units were being tested.

Six highways were listed on the program’s website among locations that had cameras set up during the pre-enforcement period — four near Philadelphia, one close to Allentown and another near York.