The West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) is cooperating with public safety officials and state and local law enforcement to crack down on speeders in Interstate 64 work zones.
Extra police patrols will be targeting speeders this week in the five-mile work zone between 29th Street in Huntington and the Huntington Mall in an attempt to slow drivers down and cut down on the number of work zone crashes. The speed limit in work zones is 55 mph.
WVDOT 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.
“Work zone safety is about keeping every worker, every driver, and every passenger safe in every work zone," said Randy Damron, Work Zone Safety spokesperson for WVDOT. "We each play a role in getting everyone home safe at the end of the day."
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.
In 2022, there were 800 crashes in West Virginia work zones, killing eight people and injuring 276. Almost all were avoidable.
"It's easy to get in a hurry or become distracted," said Damron. "But we need every driver to work with us and remain alert each time they get behind the wheel."
The WVDOT urges drivers to remain alert when passing through work zones, pay attention to signs and other safety devices, and stay off cell phones.
