INDIANAPOLIS — Thousands of drivers have been warned after being caught speeding in a construction zone on the northeast side of Indianapolis. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and construction workers say these warnings are having an impact.
“Our office, everyone comes through our office, and we want everybody to be able to go home,” said Chad Scott, the VP of Safety, Health and Environmental Management at Milestone Contractors.
According to the Indiana Department of Labor, there are approximately 40,000 crashes in work zones nationwide every year. Scott has advocated for the speed control pilot program, created through legislation at the statehouse, because he has witnessed the devastation that speeding in a work zone can cause.
“I have lost a co-worker in the past," Scott said. "I have seen that tragedy from a distracted driver that was in our zone, and I don't want to ever have to go through that again."
He believes the best way to ensure safety is to continue the program. INDOT began enforcing the program on May 5. So far, it has sent out 25,000 first violation warnings to drivers who were going 11 miles over the speed limit in the Clear Path I-465/I-69 construction area.
“The first tickets with fines associated could happen at any time. We are up over that 25,000 mark for first violations, so second violations could happen really at any time,” said Natalie Garrett with INDOT.
The tickets could serve as a life-saving deterrent and a program that is making both road workers and drivers safer.
“Shortly after those were implemented, we could see—and everyone that was working on site could see—the drastic slowdown in traffic,” Scott said.
INDOT has not fined anyone yet, but it will do so if someone is caught speeding in one of the zones a second time.
The five-year program allows for speed cameras in four sites across the state, with the only currently active site at Clear Path I-465 and I-69.
The first violation results in a zero fine, serving as a warning, while a second violation incurs a $75 fine. Third and any subsequent violations will result in a $150 fine.
