Nassau To Crackdown On Drivers Who Speed In Work Zones

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Following a series of car crashes in construction areas, Nassau County officials announced that police would be cracking down on speeding and reckless driving in work zones.

Officials say there have been a series of crashes in the work zone of the Bay Park Conveyance Project on Sunrise Highway, which have been the result of speeding and distracted driving. In addition to the crackdown, the county will also be launching an awareness campaign: "Drive like your family works here."

“We are keeping our foot on the gas in Nassau, driving forward the most ambitious road repaving campaign in decades and getting residents back to work with large scale infrastructure projects across our county,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran. “I am urging residents to drive through these work zones like your loved one works there because for many residents, they do. Our dedicated crews have a right to safety and our residents have a right to smooth roads and solid infrastructure — we can have it both ways.”

As part of the safety campaign, the county is launching a new text messaging service that will notify residents about road closures and changes to traffic patterns due to county roadwork.

The crackdown on reckless driving will include increased police patrols and enforcement near roadwork sites throughout the county. Speeding in work zones results in double fines. And two or more speeding violations in work zones could lead to your license being suspended.

“I would like to remind all drivers to obey the law and slow down when approaching all construction areas,” said Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. “These men and women working at these sites watch out for us by improving our roadways, in turn, we should watch out for them by slowing down and paying attention. By doing this, we can ultimately reduce needless injuries and deaths. Our police officers will be intensifying their patrols around all roadway construction sites and will have a zero-tolerance approach toward anyone who violates the law.”

The new text messaging service from the county launches on Sept. 13. It will include a 6 a.m. recap of daily road closures, as well as real-time updates on traffic pattern changes throughout the day due to road work or accidents. You can sign up by texting "roadwork" to 888777. You can also get updates by email by clicking here.