INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Cars speeding on I-70 in the construction zone between the 95- and 105-mile markers in Hancock County near Greenfield will soon be getting tickets.

A new pilot program, Indiana Safe Zones, will place cameras in the area to prevent speeding.

Natalie Garrett, a spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Transportation, told News 8, “First incident is a penalty-free warning; a letter is sent. Second violation is $75. Third and any subsequent following the third is $150.”

The 95-mile marker is near the Mount Comfort Road interchange, and the 105-mile marker is just over a mile east of the State Road 9 exit for Greenfield.

The main reason for the cameras is worker and driver safety.

According to INDOT, in the last decade, 269 people have been killed in crashes in highway worksites or in worksite backups in Indiana. In 2023 alone, 33 people were killed and more than 1,750 were injured in INDOT work zones. Four out of 5 people injured or killed were drivers or their passengers.

INDOT says the work zone on I-70 isn’t the most dangerous in the state, but they considered several factors when picking it to test out this new system. “We looked at things like traffic volume, crash data,” Garrett said.

Drivers will have plenty of warning when they enter the zone that will have cameras monitoring their speed. “There will be multiple signs as drivers enter and exit the work zone, letting them know that enforcement is active,” Garrett said.

The cameras will be mounted on work trucks, and there will be a buffer zone of speed. Drivers won’t get tickets if they go 1 mph over the speed limit. “At least 11 mph over the posted speed limit in that specific work zone,” Garrett said.

The Indiana Legislature voted to create the pilot program based on other programs around the country. Both Pennsylvania and Maryland have similar systems in work zones.

According to INDOT, speeding violations dropped 80% in Maryland two years after it launched its program, and deaths and injuries were the lowest in 10 years. Pennsylvania saw a 19% decrease in worksite crashes in the first year of its program.

The work zone along I-70 will be the first of four work zones in Indiana to have the cameras.

Indiana’s pilot program will end in 2028. State lawmakers would have to vote to make the cameras permanent.

From INDOT, how the Indiana Safe Zones will work

• Signs will be posted as motorists enter and exit worksites notifying them that speed limits are being monitored by an automated system.
• The system will monitor the speed of vehicles using speed timing devices as they pass through the work zone. When a vehicle is determined to be traveling 11 mph or more above the posted speed limit, the system will capture an image of the vehicle’s rear license plate. After the data is validated, violations will be certified and issued to the owner of the vehicle by mail.
• The pilot program will begin with a pre-enforcement period, during which drivers will receive courtesy notices but will not be fined.
• After the pre-enforcement period ends, the first violation will result in a zero-fine warning, the second in a $75 civil penalty, and every violation thereafter a penalty of $150. In accordance with the statute, collected penalties will go into the state’s General Fund. 
• Workers must be present at the site at the time of the event for violations to be valid.

Statement

“The goal of the Safe Zones program is to slow drivers down, reduce crashes, and most importantly, save lives. Speed continues to be a factor in work zone crashes and changing driver behavior is crucial to making work zones safer for drivers and road workers. For everyone’s safety, I urge drivers to wear their seat belts, avoid distractions and follow the posted speed limit.”

Mike Smith, commissioner of Indiana Department of Transportation