Speed Cameras Catch Thousands in Indiana Work Zone

By: Dan Carden
Source: The Times, Munster, Ind. (TNS)

Nearly 19,000 motorists were photographed driving more than 11 mph over the reduced speed limit in the Interstate 65 worksite in south Lake County during the past two months.

According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, speed camera violation warning notices were sent to 18,546 individuals whose vehicles were recorded going too fast through the mile marker 239 to 235 “Safe Zone” between July 7 and Aug. 25.

Read today’s top news.

Another 81 vehicle owners were issued a $75 civil fine for a second speed camera violation while 13 people received $150 tickets for additional speed camera violations, INDOT said.

INDOT traffic count data show approximately 50,000 vehicles per day travel that section of I-65 — meaning fewer than 1% of motorists were snapped exceeding the speed limit by more than 11 mph when construction workers were present during the 49-day period.

A final tally of I-65 speed camera warnings and tickets is expected to be available after the highway bridge replacement project wraps up in mid-September and the truck-mounted speed enforcement camera is removed.

“I am encouraged by the success we’ve seen so far, and I cannot stress enough the importance of slowing down and avoiding distractions in work zones. We want everyone to go home safe at the end of the day,” said former state Rep. Matt Ubelhor, R-Orleans, Indiana’s secretary of transportation and infrastructure under Republican Gov. Mike Braun.

This was the first use of speed camera enforcement in Northwest Indiana after the Republican-controlled 2023 General Assembly authorized their deployment at four worksites a year.

Speed cameras also currently are in place in a worksite at the intersection of Interstates 465 and 69 in Indianapolis. They’ll soon be used again in a four-mile worksite on Interstate 70 near Greenfield and a one-mile worksite at the eastern end of the Indiana Toll Road near Fremont.

The revenue generated by speed camera tickets is deposited in Indiana’s general fund that pays for education, public safety, health care and nearly everything state government does.

But officials insist speed camera enforcement is focused on safety, not raising money — despite the state’s budget woes.

“We’ve seen around a 70% reduction in excessive speeds within our current deployment sites. Creating safer conditions for both drivers and road workers is our goal, and lower speeds are a huge factor in that effort,” said INDOT Commissioner Lyndsay Quist.

INDOT data show 30 people were killed and more than 1,500 were injured in Indiana highway worksites in 2024. The majority of people killed in worksites were either vehicle drivers or passengers, not construction workers.