SPOKANE, Wash. — Drivers caught speeding in a Washington state construction zone are about to face steeper penalties. Starting July 1, the Washington State Department of Transportation will charge first-time offenders caught on work zone speed cameras $125. Each infraction after that will cost nearly $250. Until now, drivers caught speeding received only a warning.
WSDOT introduced the cameras in the Spokane area this month, deploying them on larger projects including an upcoming paving operation along Interstate 90. The cameras rotate between construction sites around the state and are designed to reduce vehicle speeds and improve safety for both road workers and drivers.
Since launching in western Washington last year, the cameras have caught 85,000 speeders, most of them first-time offenses.
Kyle Miller, WSDOT’s Speed Safety Camera Systems Program Manager, said the agency is expanding the program.
“We have six cameras today. As of July 1st, we’ll have 10. So we’re going to expand across the state to work with our bigger construction projects, our maintenance crews and any emergency situations that pop up.”
Miller added that the cameras are already changing driver behavior.
“We are seeing reductions in speeds, especially the ones we’ve been at, the bigger projects,” Miller said. “Our maintenance crews are also saying that they’re seeing traffic slow down when people see the signs, the radar feedback trailers that are out there and the signs themselves.”
WSDOT plans to add five more cameras by the summer of 2027. When a camera arrives at the I-90 project in Spokane, it will only operate during nighttime work hours, meaning drivers will not face infractions during the day.
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