HARPURSVILLE, NY (WBNG) — New York State Police (NYSP) conducted an undercover work zone enforcement operation Friday, July 17, embedding troopers dressed as construction workers inside an active construction zone on Interstate 88 to catch drivers speeding, driving distracted, or ignoring posted signs in Harpursville.
The effort, called Operation Hard Hat, placed troopers alongside road crews where they monitored passing vehicles and radioed violations ahead to troopers stationed at nearby on-ramps.
“If they see a speed or somewhat of a dangerous behavior, what they do is they go over the radio and they let the troopers that are sitting ahead on one of the on-ramps know that there’s a vehicle, give the description and what that violation was,” said Trooper Aga Tinker, Troop C Public Information Officer.
The posted speed limit in the construction zone on I-88 is 55 miles per hour. During the operation, one vehicle was observed traveling at 76 mph. By the end of the enforcement effort, troopers issued 55 tickets — 50 of which were for speeding. The highest recorded speed was 86 mph in the 55 mph work zone.
Tinker said the enforcement is personal. In 2019, a New York State Department of Transportation worker was killed in Tioga County after a tractor-trailer entered a work zone.
“We’re mid-construction season. We’re still seeing people that are speeding through zones, not paying attention,” Tinker said.
Tinker said the goal of the operation extends beyond issuing citations.
“It’s not about the tickets for us. It’s about driving home the point that we want everyone to go home safely at the end of the day,” Tinker said.
Tinker said the message applies beyond active construction zones.
“If you’re able to move over, please move over. If you’re not able to move over, it’s not safe to move over, at least slow down to give that vehicle the route. We want everyone to just be able to get home to their families,” Tinker said.
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