The Colorado Department of Transportation plans to place speed enforcement cameras this March in the massive construction zone where crews are expanding Interstate 70 at Floyd Hill.
Recent changes in state law allow CDOT and local governments to expand their use of the unpopular yet effective speed cameras, which researchers say can reduce crashes and deaths. The state has also in recent years started to use cameras to automatically penalize drivers for weaving in and out of its toll lanes.
CDOT officials say they plan to spend up to $5 million on a pilot program that could result in speed cameras in four additional work zones by the end of the year. They also emphasize they are trying to make roads safer — not bilk drivers for money.
“This is not a revenue-generating initiative,” CDOT Chief Engineer Keith Stefanik told the state Transportation Commission earlier this week. “We will not break even on this for many years.”
State law requires each new speed camera to be announced for at least 30 days on the responsible agency’s website before installation. Once placed, the camera can only issue warnings to speeding drivers for at least 30 more days, though CDOT officials say initial warning periods will be longer.
CDOT has not yet said how much the fines will be when they start later this year.
Preliminary data shows there have been 31 deaths and 43 serious injuries from work-zone-related crashes across the state in 2024 — though those figures could rise as the data is finalized, CDOT staff said.
“This is a strategy that we've been looking forward to some time,” Stefanik said, adding that he hopes the cameras will be a “game changer” for road safety. He also hopes more local jurisdictions embrace the technology, too.
