In an effort to keep highway workers safe, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she would make the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement pilot program permanent, expand it to include MTA Bridges and Tunnels and NYS Bridge Authority properties, and enhance penalties for assaults against transportation workers. In addition, she would include this into the FY 2026 budget.
A group of construction industry officials, labor leaders and safety advocates came together on March 26 to advocate for these safety enhancements on the one-year anniversary of the expansion of New York’s “Move Over Law” — a piece of legislation requiring all drivers to move over when hazard vehicles, highway worker vehicles and tow trucks are stopped on the roadway.
“The men and women in labor who have dedicated themselves to improving our roads and bridges risk their lives every day to ensure the safety of all drivers,” Hochul said. “By permanently driving down speeds in work zones and enhancing penalties for assaults against them, I am working to strengthen our laws to ensure these dedicated workers can make it home safe themselves.”
The Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement (AWZSE) program is the result of legislation signed into law by Governor Hochul in September 2021. The legislation authorized a five-year pilot program run as a joint effort by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) to enhance the State’s ongoing efforts to slow motorists down in work zones to make New York’s highways safer. More than 420,000 Notices of Liability have been issued statewide, with close to 78,400 repeat offenders since the AWZSE program launched in May 2023. And in locations where the cameras have been present more than once, fewer Notices of Liability are being issued, meaning that people are slowing down when cameras are present.
In addition to her proposal to make the AWSZE permanent, Hochul’s budget also includes language to enhance penalties for assaults against transportation workers, extending protections similar to those provided to many MTA and retail workers. These actions will improve safety for both workers and drivers.
Last year, while setting up a work zone on a Long Island Expressway ramp in Syosset, a car veered around DOT trucks, which were carrying attenuators. The driver got out of his car and accosted the highway maintenance crew for obstructing his trip up the ramp. A video showing the beginning of the incident can be seen here.
DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez called it “a commonsense legislative package,” adding, “Our highway workers deserve the respect of the traveling public every second they are out there doing their jobs in the name of safety.”
“As someone who spends a lot of time in a car driving across the state, I drive past road work zones all the time, and I unfortunately see too many people driving in ways that put road maintenance crews and other drivers at risk,” DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said. “Taking the time to slow down and move over can prevent a tragedy and make sure we all get to our destinations safely.”
MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan said, “AWZSE is changing motorist behavior for the better: drivers are slowing down, resulting in fewer work zone accidents and injuries. This successful pilot program has made our roadways safer for both drivers and workers in construction zones. I look forward to this initiative becoming permanent and being expanded for widespread use.”
“Keeping highway workers safe is a priority for the Union Movement,” New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento said. “These workers endure hazardous conditions while performing their jobs for our safety; we must protect them.”
The pilot program “has effectively caused drivers to slow down and pay attention, helping to protect the men and women working tirelessly to keep our highway system operational and properly maintained,” added LiUNA Vice President and New England Regional Manager Donato A. Bianco, Jr. “We all owe it to the workers that skillfully do this dangerous job to take every possible action to ensure they go home safely at the end of the day, and we look forward to seeing the program included in the final enacted budget.”
CSEA Thruway Local President Sean Kennedy said, “We must explore all avenues to protecting road and highway workers risking their lives every day. The AWZSE program serves as a deterrent to distracted and reckless driving while boosting safety for workers as well as the traveling public.”
“Protecting our workers is foundational to every issue we advocate for as an industry,” Long Island Contractors’ Association Executive Director Marc Herbst said. “There is no question that we need to do all we can to ensure that the workers who go out to build, repair and maintain our vital infrastructure have every protection we can provide. Both the expansion of the work zone safety camera program and transportation worker protection from harassment and assault are vital to ensure our workers know we have their backs and truly appreciate their contributions to our roadways.”