The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH), in cooperation with public safety officials and state and local law enforcement officers, is continuing to crack down on speeders in Interstate 64 work zone on Wednesday and Thursday, March 22 and 23, 2023, with a targeted speed enforcement operation in the Nitro-St. Albans area.
West Virginia State Police, the Public Service Commission, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department, Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, Nitro Police Department, and St. Albans Police Department will be targeting speeders in the five-mile work zone surrounding the I-64 bridge project at Nitro and St. Albans. The intent is to slow down drivers and cut down on the number of work zone crashes.
WVDOH is also putting up more signs and radar speed monitors in work zones, collecting crash data to better target work zone safety response, and asking our media partners to help spread the word about obeying speed limits and traffic laws in work zones.
Randy Damron, Work Zone Safety spokesperson for WVDOH, said speed limits are restricted to 55 mph in highway work zones. That’s because work zones can be narrower, rougher and provide drivers less time to react than open highway. |
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“Eighty percent of the work zone crashes are rear-end collisions,” Damron said. “It’s because the person wasn’t paying attend and traveling too fast.”
West Virginia State Police, local sheriff’s departments and municipal police departments will have extra patrols in work zones all along the I-64 corridor between Huntington and Charleston throughout the construction season, targeting speeders and writing tickets for drivers who disobey work zone safety laws.
While most work zone crashes involve drivers traveling too fast, Damron said drivers should also look out for highways workers who may be on the job.
“Working on the roads is a challenge,” Damron said. “You’re in constant danger when there’s traffic. The least motorists can do is to be considerate, slow down, and recognize that there are men and women in the roadway.”
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In 2022, there were 800 crashes in West Virginia work zones, killing eight people and injuring 276. Almost all were avoidable.
The WVDOH urges drivers to remain alert when passing through work zones, pay attention to signs and other safety devices, and stay off cell phones.
