Drivers traveling through work zones in Washington will soon face stricter penalties for speeding.
The Washington State Patrol is urging motorists to slow down ahead of changes to fines connected to the state’s work zone speed camera program.
Beginning July 1, drivers caught speeding in work zones will receive a $150 ticket for a first violation, replacing the current warning system.
About 10 months ago, the state launched a mobile speed camera program designed specifically for construction areas. The initiative was created through legislation and implemented by the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Washington State Patrol, and other partner organizations committed to safety.
Officials say the program was implemented after noticing an uptick in work zone crashes.
“We’ve just had an explosion of work zone accidents and collisions,” said Chris Loftis, public information officer for the Washington State Patrol. “We’ve had fatalities, we’ve had serious injuries over the last few years, and they’re really going up.”
According to state data, there were 1,495 work zone crashes on Washington roads in 2024 through Nov. 2. The number has steadily increased since 2020, prompting lawmakers and transportation officials to search for ways to improve safety.
The system uses small camera devices mounted on portable trailers that can be moved to different work sites around the state.
“Right now, we have one of these devices at the Ship Canal Bridge,” Loftis said. “In the first 24 days that we put those out, we had 1,345 potential violations.”
Currently, the first violation detected by the cameras results in a warning. A second violation carries a $248 fine. But starting in July, drivers will no longer get that initial warning — they will instead be fined for the first offense.
State officials say enforcement has already been significant. Since the program launched, there have been more than 74,000 work zone speeding violations statewide, including both camera-detected cases and drivers pulled over by troopers.
In the first 10 months of the program, more than $433,000 in fines have been collected.
Loftis said the goal is not to punish drivers, but to change behavior and protect both workers and motorists.
“We’re not in the ‘gotcha’ business,” he said. “We’re in the slow-you-down business. We want to make it safe and get you home safely, along with the workers on the side of the road.”
Currently, six mobile work zone cameras are active across Washington, most of them in the Puget Sound region. By this time next year, the state plans to at least double the number of mobile work zone speed cameras operating on Washington roads.
Loftis said slowing down in construction areas is also about respecting the crews working along the road.
“These folks have a right to go home at night. They work hard and they’re there to fix the roads, to maintain them, to build bridges, to do whatever needs to be done so that we can all travel safely,” he said. " So we need to show them the respect of traveling safely through their work spot, their workspace, and these cameras allow us to do that."
The money received from the violations goes towards paying for the program.