The Connecticut Department of Transportation has tested speed cameras at highway work zones, including the Interstate 91/Interstate 691/Route 15 interchange in Meriden, over the past several months. The agency plans to start issuing tickets this summer.
Courtesy of the Connecticut Department of Transportation
Speed cameras are set to be activated June 1 at some highway work zones in the state, meaning the devices will no longer be in testing mode and will be used to issue written warnings and tickets.
The cameras will be activated at only a few locations at first, and then more will follow as summer continues, state Department of Transportation spokesperson Josh Morgan said.
“When the program goes live, we really hope no one receives a warning or citation. That means drivers are slowing down in work zones and keeping themselves and our workers safe,” Morgan said. “This program is not being launched in secret and is definitely not a ‘gotcha’ campaign to generate revenue. This is about saving lives.”
The state DOT has said that it will use revenue from fines to cover expenses related to the speed camera program, and if any money is left over, it will go toward “other transportation safety purposes.”
Under state law, DOT can operate speed cameras at up to 15 work zones at a time, as long as the speed limit on the roadway is at least 45 mph. A bill to allow the agency to conduct a pilot program for highway speed cameras outside of work zones failed to pass the state legislature this year.
The agency has a map of its work zone speed camera locations at portal.ct.gov/KnowTheZone, and Morgan said it will be continuously updated. As of Thursday, the locations included:
DOT is also using billboard ads and social media to alert the public about the speed camera program, Morgan said.
The camera systems will target vehicles going at least 10 mph over the posted speed limit, according to DOT. Warnings and tickets will be mailed to registered vehicle owners.
The first time a vehicle is caught traveling 10 or more mph over the speed limit, an owner will receive a warning, unless the vehicle is detected traveling at 85 mph or faster, then they will be fined $75.
After a warning or ticket, if a vehicle is clocked speeding 10 or more mph over the limit again within a year, the owner will receive a $75 fine. DOT has stressed that tickets won’t result in the assessment of points against an owner’s driver’s license or affect insurance rates.
The cameras will only operate when construction or maintenance work is occurring, the agency has also said. Signs will be posted about 1,000 feet and 500 feet ahead of the cameras.
An owner will be liable for the citation even if another person was driving their vehicle, unless the driver got a speeding ticket from a police officer or the vehicle had been reported stolen at the time, according to state law.
Per the law, State Police must review the images captured by the cameras before a citation goes out in the mail, and the ticket must include written verification that the camera system was working properly at the time of the alleged violation.
If an owner fails to pay a fine, doesn’t submit a plea of not guilty by an answer date or misses a scheduled court appearance, the law allows the Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend their vehicle’s registration.
During testing in March, a speed camera system at the Meriden highway work zone detected about 300,000 vehicles, out of a total of about 1 million, traveling 10 or more mph over the 45 mph speed limit, Morgan previously said.
DOT only collected data when crews were on site so the agency could “have an apples to apples comparison once enforcement begins,” DOT said.
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