Politics & Government

Operation Yellow Jacket Cracks Down on I-79 Speeders

Highway checkpoints will be set up in construction zones throughout the region.

That heavy-duty pickup truck on the side of the highway construction zone may look like an ordinary PennDOT vehicle, but inside is a state trooper – and he’s clocking your speed.

At a news conference held Friday on Interstate 79 near the Wexford exit of the highway, PennDOT announced plans to partner with state police for Operation Yellow Jacket, a program designed to crack down on speeding through work zones.

Set up at highway checkpoints throughout the region, state troopers disguised as PennDOT workers will observe motorists’ speeds through construction areas. The information then will be radioed to a trooper on traffic patrol.

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“They will go out and pull that vehicle over,” said state police spokeswoman Robin Mungo.

James Foringer, PennDOT's assistant district executive for construction of District 11, said the agency has more than 100 active construction projects scheduled for 2011. The Operation Yellow Jacket checkpoints, he said, will be set up in Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties.

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“We encourage drivers to slow down in all construction zones,” he said.

In recent months, there have been two f along I-79 near construction zones in Marshall Township. Last year, 22 people died in work zone crashes across the state; five of those crashes occurred in Western Pennsylvania, according to PennDOT.

Speeding through work zones endangers other drivers as well as PennDOT employees who often work within a few feet of oncoming traffic, Foringer said.

“Please slow down,” he said. “Pay attention to the flaggers.”

Mungo said motorists caught driving more than 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit could face a 15-day suspension of their driver’s licenses and see two points or more added to their driving records.

It also could put a dent in their wallets.

Fines are assessed on a sliding scale that’s determined by how many miles per hour the driver exceeds the speed limit. Mungo estimated the average fine is about $250 when court costs and other fees are added. Fines also may be doubled in work zones.

Motorists got their first taste of Operation Yellow Jacket Friday afternoon. Sitting in a PennDOT truck on I-79 in Wexford, Cpl. Kevin Brown, who was dressed like a PennDOT worker in a yellow vest and a hard hat, used a radar gun to clock speeders. He used his radio to notify troopers farther down the highway to pull over the speeding motorists and issue tickets.

Mungo noted that drivers must obey work zone speed limits even when no active construction is going on. She advised drivers to slow down in work zones and avoid distractions such as talking on cell phones. She also recommended that drivers know ahead of time where construction is occurring and allow extra time to maneuver through those often-congested zones.

“Our biggest concern is that we want everyone to be safe,” she said.  

 


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