MnDOT installing speed safety cameras at two construction sites

The Minnesota Department of Transportation says it is installing speed safety cameras at two construction sites in late July.

The cameras are part of a pilot project that will help determine if they improve work zone safety. 

According to MnDOT, speed safety cameras installed in other states "have been found to be effective at reducing fatal and life-changing crashes."

The cameras will be installed at the Interstate 35W construction in Burnsville and the Highway 65 construction between Cambridge and north of Braham. 

Officials said the locations were chosen strategically.

Brian Sorensen, the state agency's state traffic engineer, said I-35W was selected because of the large volume of traffic, while Highway 65 was chosen because construction workers are operating in close proximity to moving vehicles.

"Everyone deserves to get home safely each day," said MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger. "Speeding in work zones is the top safety concern we hear from the people who work on our roads. These camera systems, which have been used in other states, offer another tool that may help improve safety for everyone who works in, and travels through, the limited space within work zones."

Orange signs on the road will notify motorists of the cameras. If the camera captures a motorist traveling 10 mph or more over the work zone speed limit, officials say they will receive a warning letter in the mail and educational information about work zone safety.

"What I hope you also notice are the people," Minnesota State Patrol Lieutenant Jennifer Krier said. "Behind every cone is someone who came to work expecting to go home to their family."

For MnDOT crew leader Nick Hale, that message is personal.

Hale was struck by a semitruck while working on Interstate 94 in 2019 during a nighttime maintenance operation. He said the crash left him with a bulging disc in his neck and serves as a reminder of the dangers highway workers face every day.

"For those of us who work on the highway, the road is our office," Hale said. "When you approach or enter a work zone, please slow down."

The cameras capture license plate information only, not images of vehicle occupants.

MnDOT plans to activate the first cameras on I-35W in the coming weeks, with Highway 65 expected to follow later this summer. The pilot was authorized by the Minnesota Legislature in 2024 and is intended to evaluate whether speed safety cameras improve safety in work zones before any future expansion.

MnDOT says that since 2021, there have been more than 11,000 crashes in Minnesota work zones, and speeding has contributed to 22 deaths 609 injuries in those zones. 

Last fall, Minneapolis installed speed cameras at five different intersections across the city. Six months in, officials said speeding declined across all five sites.