The Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras (WZSSC) program uses portable systems (either vehicle- or other apparatus-mounted) to detect and record vehicles exceeding work zone posted speed limits by 11 miles per hour (mph) or more using electronic speed timing devices (radar or nonradar).
The initiative is supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike) and the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP).
Based on the findings and recommendations of a November 2012 report (PDF) issued by the State Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), in 2018 the Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted legislation (Act 86 of 2018) to pilot an Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement (AWZSE) program within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. AWZSE was a five-year pilot to prove the program could meet its overarching goal of increasing safety in work zones. the pilot program proved exactly that, and Act 38 of 2023 was signed into law on December 14, 2023. Act 38 provides for the program to become a permanent tool in the work zone safety toolbox for both PennDOT and the PA Turnpike.
In maintaining and improving Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges, there is increased exposure to work zones for the traveling public, roadway workers and pedestrians. Work zones often include lane closures and narrow or shifting lanes with travel conditions that may change on a daily or weekly basis. In 2018, there were 1,804 work zone crashes in Pennsylvania, resulting in 23 fatalities. In 2022, those numbers dropped to under 1,300 and 14, respectively. While the WZSSC program is not the sole reason for those reductions, it is a valuable tool available to PennDOT and the PA Turnpike to improve safety in work zones. With increases in distracted driving and continued speeding in work zones, additional safety measures are necessary. The purpose of the WZSSC program, as enacted, is to:
Reduce speeds in work zones
Improve driver behavior
Save worker and traveler lives
Complement existing enforcement by the PSP
Promote work zone safety
The WZSSC program is managed by PennDOT and the PA Turnpike with the assistance of a contracted Program Administrator. The Program Administrator is responsible for assisting PennDOT and the PA Turnpike with the development, sustainability, and administration of the program.
Deployments of WZSSC systems in work zones are provided by a contracted System Administrator. This System Administrator is responsible for providing WZSSC equipment, data collection services, and violation appeals processing.
The Pennsylvania State Police is responsible for reviewing and affirming select violations. Violation notices that have been reviewed and affirmed by PSP will include a statement affirming the violation. PSP also provides field speed and quality control testing.