Drivers could encounter automated speed cameras in nearly any state Department of Transportation construction zone under an expansion of New York’s enforcement program.
State officials announced Monday that language included in the latest state budget allows cameras to be deployed beyond controlled-access highways. Since its launch in 2023, the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement Program had been limited to selected construction areas on major highways.
The change makes automated enforcement available in almost every DOT work zone across New York, including construction projects on state roads that were previously ineligible.
State Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said vehicles have traveled approximately 30% slower in work zones where cameras are operating. She said expanding the program will offer additional protection for state maintenance crews and contractors during the busy highway construction season.
New York has issued more than 700,000 work zone speeding citations since cameras were first deployed in April 2023. According to the state, those violations represent fewer than 2% of the vehicles that passed through monitored construction zones.
Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank Hoare said the program has changed driver behavior and reduced average speeds, creating safer conditions for both highway workers and motorists.
The cameras identify vehicles exceeding the posted work zone speed limit while construction crews are present. Citations are issued to the vehicles’ registered owners.
