That may not be a construction worker you pass on the highway. Austin police are going undercover to bust speeders in construction zones.
Workers in Northeast Austin are building a ramp to allow drivers on 290 to easily connect with 183. Among them is a man with the same vest, jeans and hard hat, but he was there on a different project.
APD highway enforcement officers are going undercover in construction zones all over the city. One officer with a radar gun was positioned among the "real" workers.
"They are within feet from traffic passing by. They're out there experiencing what the construction workers are experiencing,” said Sgt. Jason Mutchler, APD Highway Enforcement Unit.
Several other officers waited in patrol cars down the highway to catch the speeders.
Ticketed drivers were exceeding the speed limit by an average of 10 to 15 miles per hour. The highest speed officers clocked was 86 miles per hour. Since the driver had warrants for other traffic tickets, he was taken to jail.
Within two hours, officers wrote 29 tickets. The fines are doubled because the drivers were speeding in an active construction zone.
"We're out here trying to get people more aware of construction areas, to slow down, watch their speed,” said Mutchler. “I foresee this going on for the next year or so, maybe longer as long as there's a construction site in Austin."
Officers typically begin writing tickets for drivers who exceed the speed limit by 10 miles per hour. The fines start at $194. If you are caught in an active construction zone, you will end up forking over almost $400.
Officers are also looking into doing these patrols at night.
