EAST STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Lead foot drivers beware! Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) work zone safety cameras have been catching speeders in record numbers at a local exit on Interstate 80.
Construction on Interstate 80 near East Stroudsburg is nothing new, and neither are PennDOT’s work zone safety cameras, but officials from East Stroudsburg Borough say the number of speeders caught by these cameras is excessive, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing drivers down.
The span of Interstate 80 near Exit 308 coming into East Stroudsburg is known for its long-time construction project. Now, it’s known for speeding and the tickets issued to drivers going too fast.
According to East Stroudsburg’s Borough Manager, PennDOT traffic cameras have issued roughly 48,000 speeding tickets in the construction zone since the project began in 2022.
“It’s in the thousands that are happening on a weekly and monthly basis, and the other surprising thing is that almost 25% of the tickets are for excessive speeding, so they’re not slowing down hardly at all,” explained Kelly Lewis, Borough Manager, East Stroudsburg borough.
PennDOT defines excessive speeding in a work zone as 11 miles per hour over the speed limit or more. Drivers caught speeding in these zones are issued a warning for their first offense, a $75 fine for the second, and $150 for the third and all other violations after that.
But despite the threat of fines, Lewis says drivers are still going too fast.
“It’s been a problem. You know, 20 years ago I started ‘Safe 80’. It’s one of the first things I did as a state rep back in 2001, and the whole goal was to get people to slow down through this dangerous corridor,” explained Lewis.
One driver 28/22 News spoke with says he is all too familiar with these traffic cameras and has gotten caught more than once.
“I’ve had two warnings myself. I try to follow my speed limit, also I try to keep up with the flow of traffic,” said Gerald Richardson of East Stroudsburg.
He says he has no issue with the traffic cameras, but thinks drivers need more of a heads up when it comes to active work zones.
“People don’t want to endanger workers by any means, but a lot of the times the lights will be flashing and there’s nobody around,” said Richardson.
Officials from PennDOT say that this time of year, work zones will become increasingly common, and that drivers should be aware of their speed when entering one of these work zones both for their safety and the safety of the workers.
