No more warnings: MTA to begin fining speeders in work zones on bridges, in tunnels
The Queens side of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. On Tuesday, the MTA will begin issuing fines for speeding in construction zones on its bridges and tunnels. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo/Ron Adar
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced it will begin issuing fines Tuesday to motorists who speed more than 10 miles per hour in its work zones.
Fines will start at $50, with $75 for a second offense if it's within 18 months of a first offense. Drivers with three or more violations will be fined $100 for each subsequent violation if within 18 months of the first offense, the release states. The violations also will be subject to late fees.
"Building on programs already in place on state highways, the program is designed to reduce traffic accidents and road worker fatalities," according to the release.
The authority activated speed cameras at operating construction zones on MTA tunnels and bridges. The program began June 30, but thus far the MTA issued only written warnings to drivers caught speeding. More than 33,000 vehicles were captured exceeding the work-zone limits by more than 10 miles per hour, with an average excess speed of 14.5 miles per hour, the agency said.
"In some instances, drivers were recorded going as fast as 111 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour work zone and 109 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour work zone," according to the release.
The MTA will install signs "alerting drivers to the presence of cameras posted ahead of these active construction sites."
Unmarked vehicles equipped with camera equipment, as well as radar, are stationed in active work zones, per the release.
"All violations are validated by a certified technician before they are issued," the release states. "Because these are considered nonmoving infractions, they will not appear on driving records nor be reported to insurance providers."
Cameras in work speed zones were first authorized in 2021 to cover work zones on state highways. They were deployed in 2023. The program was then expanded last year to include MTA bridges and tunnels.
The MTA operates nine bridges and tunnels in New York's five boroughs:
- Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
- Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge
- Henry Hudson Bridge
- Hugh L. Carey Tunnel
- Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge
- Queens Midtown Tunnel
- Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
- Throgs Neck Bridge
- Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
Nearly 900 fatalities, as well as 40,000 injuries, occurred in work zones across the country in 2023, according to the release.
Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
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