An Automated Work Zone Speed Monitoring Pilot Program to help enforce speed limits in highway construction and maintenance work zones will officially launch on April 17, a joint initiative between the New York State Department of Transportation and the New York State Thruway Authority that builds upon ongoing efforts to better protect highway workers. A total of 30 speed violation monitoring systems that rely on RADAR technology will be positioned in active work zones along New York State highways – 20 on NYSDOT maintained roads and 10 on the New York State Thruway.
Automated Work Zone Speed Monitoring Pilot Program and Campaign
The Automated Work Zone Speed Monitoring pilot program was established by legislation signed into law by Governor Hochul. For the first 30 days of the pilot, speeding motorists will be issued warning Notices of Liability, with actual Notices being issued 30 days after the initial rollout. A technology operator for the program was selected following a competitive bidding process. Under the program, all vehicles detected violating the posted speed limit within a work zone by over an established threshold will be fined. License plate images and speed data collected will be sent to NYSDOT and the Thruway within a week, with violation fines issued to the vehicle’s registered owner by mail. Vehicle owners who are New York State residents will receive notice in the mail within 14 business days of the violation instance, while those who live out of state will receive notice within 45 days. Images of the driver or contents of the vehicle will not be documented.
Fines through the pilot program will be issued as follows:
- $50 for first violation
- $75 for second violation
- $100 for third and subsequent violations within 18 months of the first violation
Unpaid fines may result in a vehicle registration hold where drivers will not be able to renew their registrations without first paying their fines. Owners may contest a violation within 30 days of when they received notice. As required by law, 60 percent of the funds collected by NYSDOT and the Thruway Authority through the program will supplement work zone safety projects.
