Colorado Department of Transportation speed camera fines total over $700K in first 3 months, program expands to I-25

Cameras have been tracking the speeds of Colorado drivers along Highway 119 for months, resulting in slower drivers and ticket fines that are funding the program's expansion. The Colorado Department of Transportation reports that enforcement cameras along that highway have already resulted in thousands of tickets.

Since January, drivers traveling between Longmont and Boulder on Highway 119 have received nearly 10,000 tickets for speeding through the work zone.

At $75 per ticket, those fines have totaled more than $700,000. CDOT says that figure does not include the more than 30,000 warnings issued last year when cameras were first installed.

One driver, Patrick Sullivan, said he's been cited multiple times. When asked how he felt about the tickets, Sullivan said, "I was frustrated more by the second ticket, because I didn't learn anything."

One local driver, Julie Gionet, shared her experience on the roadway. "The diagonal highway has been a very dangerous place. We've had a lot of accidents, bicycle accidents, and so I think [speed enforcement is] a good thing, but people are just going to have to get used to it."

CDOT says the cameras are improving safety by tracking vehicle speeds when drivers enter and exit construction zones. According to the agency, speeding has dropped in the area by 80% since last summer.

CDOT spokesperson Stacia Sellers said, "Construction zones are vulnerable areas. We have roadway workers who are just off the side of the highway... When you're speeding through the area, it gives you less reaction time."

The program is now expanding to additional work zones, and CDOT says it's funded by ticket revenue from Highway 119.

"We have currently expanded onto I-25 north, and that work zone, and that's going to be between Meade and Berthoud," Sellers said.

CDOT says cameras are live for a warning period right now along that section of I-25, but tickets will start to be sent out on April 1.

Drivers cited by the cameras can challenge tickets in court, but CDOT says the goal is behavioral change rather than punishment.

"It's no fun to pay a $75 ticket when you were only going, you know, but I think it's necessary. So I'm in favor of it," Gionet said.

Drivers can also expect more cameras along their drives in Longmont. This week, Longmont added four new red-light cameras alongside some of its busiest areas where they report some of the highest crashes. This includes the intersection of Ken Pratt and Main Street that feeds into Highway 119. Longmont officials say these cameras are still in a warning period, but will start sending out citations next month.