Ticket-triggering speed cameras coming soon to Washington’s roadside construction zones

Drivers who blast through a construction zone at freeway speeds in Washington could see a $248 ticket arrive in the mail a few days later under a state program that takes effect this year.

It’s part of an effort to keep state employees safe on freeways and state highways across Washington, where working in a construction zone is more dangerous than handling explosives, according to Paul Jones, a construction compliance leader at the ongoing Highway 167 project between Puyallup and the Port of Tacoma.

Jones told WSDOT that he’s seen several collisions and close calls at roadside job sites.

“When it comes to traffic, you can follow all the safety procedures and a drunk driver can still get you, even if you follow everything you’re supposed to be doing,” Jones said in a Feb. 6 WSDOT blog post.

According to WSDOT figures, there were 1,495 work zone crashes in the first 10 months of 2024, including 43 fatal and serious injury crashes.

WSDOT’s Amy Moreno told The Herald that the first construction zone cameras will be ready for use this month, but that the date and location hadn’t been decided.

A total of six cameras will be added by summer, the height of road construction season.

Speeding is one of the leading causes of crashes in work zones, which threatens the lives of workers and the traveling public, Moreno said in an email.

Drivers will get a grace period of one speeding infraction on camera, but will get a $248 ticket for the second and subsequent offenses. Infractions are only enforced when there are workers present, Moreno said.