Warning Period Begins Thursday, September 22; Citations Begin Thursday, October 13

(September 21, 2016) – In an ongoing effort to improve work zone safety, the Maryland State Police (MSP) and the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) will deploy the Maryland SafeZones Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) system along northbound US 15 (Catoctin Mountain Highway) at the MD 26 interchange in Frederick County.

Operators will use ASE cameras at the bridge replacement project over MD 26 to enforce the 55 mph speed limit in the construction zone.   After a 21-day warning period, MSP will authorize citations starting Thursday, October 13. Drivers excessively speeding by 12 or more miles over the speed limit, or 67 mph or more, face a $40 civil citation.

Maryland SafeZones supports SHA, MSP and Maryland Transportation Authority Police (MDTA) in the statewide effort to improve work zone safety.  Nationally, four out of five people injured in a work zone crash are passengers or drivers, not workers.

SafeZones mobile enforcement vehicles rotate among designated construction zones along controlled-access highways with posted speed limits of 45 mph or higher.  SHA places large signs in advance of the work zones to alert drivers of automated speed enforcement use. Crews will also place a “speed trailer” to display the posted speed limit and drivers’ speeds in advance of the enforcement vehicle.

Where the State has deployed SafeZones, speeding violations have decreased by more than 90 percent.  ASE is currently deployed in nine other work zones in the State. For more information, please visit www.safezones.maryland.gov.

The $5.8 million bridge replacement began summer 2016. SHA is replacing the 59-year old steel girder bridge in two phases to maintain all travel lanes during construction. Nearly 21,000 motorists use the US 15 bridge over MD 26 each day. For more information about the project please click here.

When driving through work zones, please stay alert – look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers. Slow down and don't follow too closely. Safer Driving. Safer Work Zones. For Everyone!

 
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