Work Zone Speed Enforcement…One More State

New PennDOT program aims to save lives

Picture this. It’s a Monday morning and you’re heading out the door, earlier than usual, to take your normal commute to work. Everything is smooth sailing; you are hitting every green light and there even seems to be less traffic then usual. You then take the entry ramp onto the highway and after about two miles in, there’s traffic. Up ahead you see flashing construction lights and warnings of lane closures. You have now been sitting in traffic for about 15 minutes and your plan to get to work early has surely gone out the window.

This feels like an all too familiar story, especially when there seems to be roadwork construction around every corner.

While work zones may just feel like another nuisance on your commute, they are significant for the health of our infrastructure. Those annoying lane closures and low speed limits are just the side effects of creating more usable, efficient and safer roadways. The unfortunate side effect is these changing conditions allow for higher possibility of crashes, injuries and fatalities. In 2018, there were 1,804 work zone crashes in Pennsylvania, resulting in 23 fatalities, and 43% of work zone crashes resulted in fatalities and/or injuries. To address this problem, PennDOT has established Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement (AWZSE) program.

“The goal is to encourage motorists to slow down in work zones, change their behavior, and ultimately improve safety for both motorists and workers.”

 – Yassmin Gramian, PennDOT Secretary

The AWZSE program “uses vehicle-mounted systems to detect and record motorists exceeding posted work zone speed limits using electronic speed timing devices.” This program is not only about protecting construction workers, but motorists as well. “It’s important to remember that the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program isn’t about issuing violations, it’s about saving lives,” says Gramian. The enforcement will begin March 4, 2020 and is only operational in active work zones. Learn more about the AWZSE program here.

At Bergman Engineering, we have evaluated hundreds of cases involving roadway construction, traffic and transportation. This includes traffic signals, traffic control, work zone analysis, safety reviews and accident investigations. Let us be your #1 resource for these types of evaluations! Contact us today.