Crews hope cameras can diffuse dangerous work zone conditions

 By Amy Moreno

Working in a highway construction zone is more dangerous than handling explosives – that’s what our worker Paul Jones says. He started his professional career in the oil and gas industry, sometimes working with explosives. He says road construction is by far his most dangerous job.

“With explosives, you have all these safety procedures. As long as you follow them, you’re fine,” said Paul, a construction compliance leader on the State Route 167 Corridor Improvements project. “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.”

That’s especially true given the increase in speeding and erratic drivers road crews and first responders have seen in recent years. That’s why we hope the new work zone speed cameras will help slow people down and keep everyone safer, including workers like Paul.

Paul Jones has done his share of dirty (and dangerous) jobs.

“It's hard to appreciate just how dangerous it is until you have these really close calls happening and it's like wow,” Paul explained. He’s worked on several busy freeways, which means he’s seen multiple collisions and near misses.

While doing survey work on SR 167 a few years ago, he asked a contractor to follow in a sign truck as an added layer of protection. “All the sudden, he blared the horn, and I dove left because traffic was to my right,” Paul explained. “Sure enough, somebody sick of traffic was coming right at me … if it weren't for that contractor hitting this horn, I wouldn't have seen the guy coming.”

Statistics to back those stories

This situation is more common than you might expect. A 2024 industry study found that nearly two in three contractors reported a crash in a construction work zone last year. In Washington, we average 1,345 work zone crashes yearly, which doesn’t even capture near misses.

In another crash, Paul said a driver slammed into a contractor’s truck so hard on SR 167 that his vehicle caught fire last year. Crews were later told the driver was distracted at the time of the crash. Fortunately, the contractor had just climbed out of the truck, heard tires on the rumble strips and had just enough time to jump over a guardrail.

Crashes in work zones are dangerous for workers, drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

“What if the contractor was still in his vehicle?” Paul asks. “What if he was getting out?”

Maintenance worker Sheri Knowles says that after nearly 15 years on the job, she has too many stories to count. Her family often worries for her safety: “My husband and my sons have a hard time when they see it on the news and social media.”

Sheri works traffic control and says she’s noticed increasing speeds and aggression in the last few years. “People are flying past us. Everybody’s tailgating and distracted with screens in their cars. Then, when they get to the work zone, they don’t have time to react.”

Work zone speed cameras

Workers like Paul and Sheri are part of the reason why WSDOT will soon unveil its work zone speed camera program. This new safety tool involves a partnership between the Washington State Patrol, courts, the Legislature, unions and industry supporters. The goal is to slow speeding drivers as they pass through work zones. Excessive speed is consistently among the top three causes of work zone crashes in our state.

The trailer-mounted cameras will rotate between construction, maintenance and emergency projects where speeding is a problem. Signs will warn drivers when a camera is in a work zone. When possible, radar speed feedback signs will also show drivers how fast they’re moving.

A trailer-mounted camera will be positioned in work zones where speeding is a problem.

There is no fine for the first work zone speed camera infraction, but it’s $248 for the second and every violation after that. Images of speeding vehicles will be forwarded from the camera vendor to WSP without any photos that show who was driving the vehicle. Troopers will screen and determine if a violation was committed. If it was, a notice will be sent to the vehicle's registered owner. People can acknowledge the infraction, pay the penalty, contest, appeal, ask for reductions or set up payment plans through a hearing.

The goal of the program is to slow drivers and protect workers and the traveling public. State statistics show that 95 percent of the people hurt in work zone crashes are drivers, their passengers or pedestrians. Any money generated by penalties goes only to support the program and fund safety education programs and DUI enforcement. This is a safety program and we’d be happy to see the program collect no fines – because no speeders mean safer work zones for all.

Legislation for the cameras took effect in 2023 with the program running until 2030.

Hope for a new type of work zone

Paul hopes the cameras change driver behavior like people have changed their driving near schools.

“We as a society really value taking care of our children,” he explained. “But we don't have that sort of civic responsibility and understanding regarding construction workers.”

The program starts with one camera in early 2025 and will increase to two more in the spring and as many as six by summer. We hope the cameras improve conditions for crews who just want to get home at the end of their shift.