Drivers caught speeding in work zones on Metropolitan Transportation Authority bridges and tunnels now face fines starting at $50 after months of warnings.
Speed cameras deployed at 200 work zones on the MTA’s seven bridges and two tunnels have caught 33,000 vehicles going 10 mph or more over the speed limit since the end of June. One was clocked at 111 mph in a 45-hour zone, another 109 mph in a 35-mph zone. The average was 14.5 mph over the limit.
Since then, nearly 16,000 motorists have received warning notices. But as of Tuesday, Sept. 22, the warnings are over.
First-offenders will be hit with a $50 ticket. For a second offense within 18 months, the charge is $75 and $100 for three or more violations.
Fines will not appear on driver records
since the offense is not considered a moving violation.
Why MTA speeding cameras are being used
The Automated Work Zone Safety Enforcement program mirrors efforts introduced on state highways in 2021. Unmarked vehicles with radar detectors and cameras will be deployed at bridges and tunnels while work is underway.
Two New York State Thruway Authority employees were killed by drivers in 2024. The following year, Gov. Kathy Hochul backed legislation expanding the program to MTA and Bridge Authority properties, including the Bear Mountain and Newburgh-Beacon bridges.
In 2023, 900 were killed and another 40,000 injured in work zones across the U.S., the MTA noted.
Here are the bridges and tunnels run by the MTA:
- Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
- Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge
- Henry Hudson Bridge
- Hugh L. Carey Tunnel
- Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge
- Queens-Midtown Tunnel
- Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
- Throgs Neck Bridge
- Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA TODAY Network’s New York State team. He’s won dozens of state and national writing awards from the Associated Press, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Deadline Club and others during a decades-long career that’s included stops at the New York Daily News, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Hackensack. He can be reached at tzambito@lohud.com
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Speed camera work zone fines begin on MTA bridges, tunnels. See where
