With police issuing more than 100 citations in I-64 work zones, the WVDOT reminds drivers to slow down in work zones

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Officers from six different law enforcement agencies stopped 146 vehicles and issued 105 speeding tickets in the Interstate 64 work zones between Barboursville and Huntington on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.   “Yesterday’s operation should be a reminder that slowing down in work zones is so important,” said Randy Damron, Work Zone Safety spokesman for the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT).   “Work zone safety is about keeping every worker, every driver, and every passenger safe in every work zone," Damron said. "We each play a role in getting everyone home safe at the end of the day." With hundreds of construction projects scheduled around the state in 2024, the WVDOT urges drivers to pay attention and obey traffic laws in work zones.

MEDIA: For B-roll of speeding enforcement, CLICK HERE.

West Virginia State Police, the Public Service Commission, Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, and police from Milton, Barboursville, and Huntington took part in a speed enforcement operation in the area throughout the day, and will continue patrolling the work zones through West Virginia Day, Thursday, June 20, 2024.   The enforcement event was a collaborative effort between local law enforcement and the WVDOT to increase safety and raise awareness in work zones. The WVDOT and law enforcement remind drivers to slow down, pay attention, and stay off cell phones while traveling through work zones.

For a link to WVDOT projects scheduled for 2024, CLICK HERE.

Law enforcement agencies worked in concert during the operation, with some officers tracking vehicles on radar and other officers chasing them down. The fastest vehicle pulled over by officers was going 94 mph in the 55-mph work zone.   The traffic stops did not only result in speeding tickets. Among the citations written Tuesday were violations by 16 commercial vehicles, three suspended licenses, and one license revoked for driving under the influence. Data prove that issuing speeding tickets in work zones is effective in getting drivers to slow down, but only temporarily. “Too many people are still speeding in our work zones,” Damron said.   Over the past year, the Barboursville Police Department has issued 4,300 citations in the Barboursville Mall work zone on I-64.   Five people were killed in work zone crashes on West Virginia highways in 2023. The previous year, there were 800 crashes in West Virginia work zones, killing eight people and injuring 276.