Connecticut work zone speed camera fines start Monday. Here's what drivers need to know.
The warning-only
period for the state’s highway work zone speed camera
Starting Monday, if speed camera systems in some work zones
across the state catch any vehicle traveling 10 or more mph over the posted
speed limit, the registered owner will receive either a written warning or a
$75 fine in the mail.
“Our Know the Zone work zone speed camera program exists for
one purpose: to save lives,” said DOT spokesperson Eva Zymaris. “The goal is
not to issue fines and citations. In fact, our sincere hope is that no one
receives a citation at all. By slowing down, moving over, ditching the
distractions, and driving sober, we can prevent crashes and ensure safer roads
for everyone.”
Here’s what to know about the program.
How do speed camera warnings and fines work?
Whether an owner receives a warning or a fine depends on a
couple factors: Is it the first time the vehicle has been clocked traveling at
least 10 mph over the speed limit by a work zone speed camera system’s radar?
And just how fast was the vehicle going?
For a first violation, an owner will get a warning and not a
fine, unless the vehicle is detected traveling 85 mph or faster, then the owner
will get a $75 fine.
The fine for a second or subsequent violation is also $75.
If it has been more than a year since a violation occurred, a new violation
will be treated as a first violation.
What if a driver has already been issued a warning?
Zymaris said people who received a written warning
during the recent trial period will receive another warning if their
vehicle is caught traveling 10 or more mph over the speed limit but under 85
mph. In other words, it will be treated like a first violation. For a vehicle
going 85 mph or more, it’s an immediate fine.
How will drivers know where the cameras are?
During the warning period that began June 1, cameras were
located at construction projects on Interstate 95 in West Haven, I-95 in East
Lyme and Route 2 in Colchester. But DOT said more cameras “will be deployed at
work zones identified for improved safety enforcement.” Signs are expected to
be posted about 1,000 feet and 500 feet ahead of the devices.
“We encourage you to check out the Know the Zone webpage ...
for the latest information on camera locations,” Zymaris said, referring
to a map DOT has on its website at https://portal.ct.gov/dot/programs/know-the-zone.
In addition to construction sites, the agency has said
cameras will be used where crews are performing maintenance work. While the
cameras at construction sites are mounted on utility trailers, the cameras at
maintenance sites are on SUVs.
“Locations will be updated as mobile deployment units are
utilized for maintenance projects, including mowing and litter picking,”
Zymaris said.
The agency has said the cameras will only operate when
construction or maintenance workers are on site.
How many total speed camera sites will there be?
A law passed
by the state legislature in 2024 allowed DOT to use speed cameras in
as many as 15 work zones on roads where the speed limit is at least 45 mph.
Last year, the legislature passed another law removing
the cap on the number of work zones but keeping in place the speed
limit provision.
“We do not know where these will be located in the future,
and logistics with managing the program naturally constrains the number of
locations,” Zymaris said.
How will vehicle owners receive tickets?
Warnings and tickets will be issued in the mail.
“The state will never text or email a notice of a work zone
violation,” Zymaris says in a video recently posted online by the agency.
“If you got a text that you were speeding through a highway work zone, it’s a
scam. The actual letter will have multiple photos of the vehicle and a zoom-in
of the license plate.”
DOT’s website says owners will be able to pay fines via mail
or online through the state’s Centralized Infractions
Bureau.
What if the owner of the vehicle wasn’t the one driving?
Under the law, the registered owner will be responsible even
if someone else was driving, unless the driver received a ticket from a police
officer or the vehicle had been reported stolen at the time of the violation.
DOT has said violations won’t result in points against a
driver’s license or insurance points.
Will only the owners of vehicles registered in Connecticut
be fined?
Owners of vehicles registered in other states will also be
subject to fines.
Are humans involved in the issuance of tickets?
State Police must review the images recorded by the cameras
and determine whether “there are reasonable grounds to believe that a violation
has occurred” before issuing a ticket, according to the law.
The law also requires ticket notices to include written
verification that the speed camera system was working properly at the time of
the alleged violation.
Are the cameras constantly recording?
DOT's website says the camera systems only capture and store
images of vehicles traveling 10 or more mph over the speed limit.
“If images containing occupants are captured, the occupants
will automatically be removed or obscured from any stored images,” according to
the agency.
The law prohibits DOT from disclosing or selling personally
identifiable information unless the disclosure is related to the collection of
fines or is done to comply with a judicial order or state or federal law.
Where will the money go?
DOT has said it will use the fine revenue to cover expenses
related to the work zone speed camera program, and if there is any extra money,
it will go toward “other transportation safety purposes.”
Zymaris said the agency received $5 million in state funding
for the first year of the program and will receive another $5 million for the
second year.
Can an owner fight a ticket?
Owners are expected to be able to contest
a ticket through the Centralized Infractions Bureau.
If owners fail to pay a fine, don’t submit a plea of not
guilty by a given answer date or miss a scheduled court appearance, the law
allows the Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend their registration.
Are these the only speed cameras operating in the state?
Some cities
and towns have installed speed cameras on roads within their borders.
The state DOT reviews and approves
plans by municipalities to use the devices.
The fine structures for local cameras and work zone cameras
are not identical. For municipal cameras, after a 30-day warning period, fines
cannot exceed $50 for a first violation or $75 for a subsequent violation.
Connecticut highway work resumes Monday with lane closures, detours and traffic shifts
Construction on Connecticut
highways will take a pause this weekend for the Fourth of July
holiday, but work will start back up when Monday arrives.
Here are some of the projects where drivers may encounter
traffic shifts, closed lanes and detours this month across the state.
Dutch Point Viaduct in Hartford
A new
traffic pattern is going into effect on Interstate 91 southbound
in Hartford as
the rehabilitation
of the Dutch Point Viaduct enters a new stage.
A work zone will take up the center lane of the highway
starting after Exit 29A and extending about one-third of a mile to the Colt
Armory, according to the state
Department of Transportation. Traffic will be divided into two lanes and
travel along the sides of the work zone.
The traffic pattern will be in place for about four months,
DOT said.
The overall project, which includes the replacement of parts
of the bridge and strengthening work, is expected to wrap up in June 2027.
Throughout the project, the State Street on-ramp to I-91
southbound will remain closed.
Drivers should be prepared for temporary lane closures on
I-91 southbound at night and temporary lane closures on the Whitehead Highway
ramps to and from I-91 northbound during the day.
I-691 in Meriden
The North Wall Street Bridge over Interstate 691 in Meriden has been closed for rehabilitation work, which is scheduled to finish by Aug. 23. There is a detour for vehicles, but pedestrians will still be able to use the bridge.
The bridge work is part of the yearslong overhaul of the I-91, I-691 and
Route 15 interchange, which requires nighttime lane and ramp closures.
In addition, traffic on Route 15 northbound recently shifted
to the right onto the newly built part of a bridge over I-91. The left
side of the bridge is under construction.
I-95 in East Lyme
The Exit 74 off-ramp on Interstate 95 southbound in East Lyme is set
to close July 13 and reopen July 27.
The shutdown is needed for construction of a new permanent
ramp and the removal of a temporary one, DOT said. Drivers should follow detour
signs.
The work is part of a broader project that is scheduled for
completion in spring 2027.
A new
commuter lot off Route 161 opened in June as part of the project.
Gold Star Memorial Bridge
A traffic
crossover is in effect on the Gold
Star Memorial Bridge, which connects New London and Groton on I-95, and will
remain in effect for the next four years.
Before the crossover was put in place, the northbound and
southbound bridges each carried five lanes of traffic.
Now, the southbound bridge is carrying two lanes of
northbound traffic and only three lanes of southbound traffic. Two northbound
lanes remain on the northbound bridge, which is the focus of a major
rehabilitation effort.
I-84 in Waterbury
A project on Interstate 84 eastbound that includes the removal
of the Exit 21 off-ramp in Waterbury is expected to
continue until summer 2028. The project also involves an extension of the
auxiliary lane from the Route 8 northbound ramp to the Exit 22 off-ramp.
The goal is to reduce traffic congestion from Exits 19
through 22 by giving drivers more space to merge, DOT said.
Drivers should be on the lookout for lane
and shoulder closures in the area through spring 2027.
Nightly left lane and ramp closures on I-84 westbound
between the Union Street on-ramp and the Exit 19 off-ramp will also occur
through July 31.
Bridge work on I-95 in Stamford and Darien
Drivers should get ready for overnight lane closures on I-95
as bridge
work takes place between Exits 6 and 10 in Darien and Stamford.
The alternating lane closures are expected to occur July 6
to Sept. 11.
Tree removals on Route 8 in Shelton
Daytime and nighttime ramp and lane closures are coming to
Route 8 in Shelton as trees
are removed along the highway from Exit 9 to Exit 12A.
Crews will remove dead, diseased and decaying trees, as well
as trees that have “grown into the clear zone, which is the safety space along
the side of the roadway,” DOT said.
The work is scheduled to take place from July 20 to Sept.
11.
Median barrier and drainage work is also underway farther
north on Route 8 as part of a larger
project.
Ansonia says fuel cell projects—not a data center—are planned for former industrial site
ANSONIA — Social media erupted Wednesday
with fears of a data center coming to a formerly
contaminated industrial property on North Main Street. But city
officials quickly quelled concerns, saying the former SHW Casting Co. site
could soon be home to fuel cells from multiple companies.
Mayor Frank Tyszka said the city is exploring the
possibility of two fuel
cell projects: one with Johnson Controls International, the other with
HyAxiom, Inc. Both companies have been in talks with the city about leasing
space at the former SHW Casting Co. site at 35 N. Main St.
Tyszka said there are no lease agreements at this time as
the city awaits Connecticut Siting Council approval on a Non-Residential
Renewable Energy Solutions proposal to allow the two projects to proceed.
“We are coordinating interconnection and permitting to get
these projects underway as soon as possible,” Tyszka said in an email.
A posted but then deleted Reddit post, which sparked more
than 150 responses in the first hour, voiced concerns about data centers coming
to Ansonia without mentioning a specific property location but implying
the North Main Street site. City leaders in the past had floated the idea of
data centers on the former SHW property, but that has not been a
discussion point for the latest administration.
It is not unsurprising that Ansonia residents would react
strongly to a possible data center coming to their city.
To date, three Connecticut
towns have passed moratoriums on the construction of data centers —
and many municipalities around the state have considered similar bans, whether
or not a project has been proposed. Proposals to build data centers are often
met with significant local opposition, with concerns ranging from environmental
issues to energy usage to noise.
In Ansonia, the once blighted, 3.58-acre property at
35 N. Main St. was owned by the SHW Casting Co. until 2000, when it was
sold for $60,000 to Pandel Properties LLC. In 2020, the city foreclosed on the
dilapidated property and took control of it.
Sheila O’Malley, the city’s development consultant, said
Ansonia received $2.9 million in federal grant money to construct an access
road and $6.7 million in state grants to remediate what she called a “highly
contaminated site.”
Tyszka said a retaining wall adjacent to the proposed site
had been deemed unsafe and was recently rebuilt, allowing the fuel cells
project to safely move ahead.
According to the mayor, HyAxiom was originally given
Connecticut Siting Council approval for its proposed project during the
Cassetti administration, which "caused a roadblock" when Johnson
Controls International tried to get its own approval later.
"Two projects were proposed for the ‘same site’ when
one had already received State Siting Council approval,” Tyszka said.
The Cassetti administration had reached what it thought was
a deal with Johnson Controls International, which would have used a half-acre
of the site for a fuel cell. That would have left three site pads for
additional compatible uses. That deal is no longer in place, according to the
present administration.
Tyszka’s chief of staff, Javier Varas, said the city has not
finalized any lease documents with either company to this point, since the
legislation allowing for Ansonia to lease space on the site to two separate
fuel cell companies was just passed.
“We are moving cautiously and carefully to avoid making the
mistakes of the past,” Varas said.
As plans move ahead for the former SHW site, city leaders
are also working with the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority and the
Naugatuck Valley Council of Government to formulate a strategic development
plan for the former Ansonia Copper & Brass property, some 60 acres abutting
the former SHW parcel.
Tyszka said he hopes to have a plan in place by the end of
September.
“Nothing has been set in stone,” Tyszka said about the
Copper & Brass site. “Cleanup on the 175,000-square-foot Extrusion Building
located on the Brass property started this week.”