Police are now using electronic speed cameras to help enforce speed limits in the Interstate 95 construction zone near Del. 896 in Newark.
The first three weeks will be a warning period. Beginning July 30, registered vehicle owners receiving a first offense will receive a base violation of $20, plus an additional amount for each mile per hour over the posted work zone speed limit of 55 mph.
For example, if the captured violation occurs at a speed of 66 mph, the speed violation is $20 plus an additional $11, which accounts for $1 for each mile per hour over the speed limit. Additional fees and court costs that are tacked on to all speeding tickets in Delaware will bring the total cost up to $118.
Second and subsequent offenses are higher. These violations are civil penalties only, and no points will be assessed to drivers’ licenses.
State officials first announced the program in April, saying the cameras are an important tool to make work zones safer.
“Even though we’ve reduced the speed limits out here in the work zone, we’re still seeing people speeding through there,” Delaware Department of Transportation Secretary Nicole Majeski said at the time. “It is a tight configuration, so law enforcement has difficulty pulling people over. We’ve also seen a spike in crashes, so we’re hoping the cameras will help.”
Similar to the red light cameras common throughout the state, speed cameras will take pictures of violators’ license plates, and those drivers will receive a ticket in the mail. The driver must exceed the speed limit by at least 11 mph in order to receive a ticket via a speed camera.
DelDOT first used speed cameras in 2022 when the state legislature authorized a pilot program focused on an I-95 project in Wilmington.
“We saw speeds reduced significantly, both northbound and southbound, and accidents were cut in half,” Majeski said. “We saw as a direct result of having those cameras that people slow down, and it really paid off.”
Last year, after lobbying from Newark officials and others, the legislature expanded the program to allow cameras in work zones and residential areas throughout the state. After developing regulations and choosing a vendor, DelDOT is ready to install the first new cameras in the work zone at the I-95/Del. 896 interchange, which is in the midst of a two-year reconstruction project.
Brandon Zerilla, who is leading the project for DelDOT contractor Wagman, said earlier this year that the cameras will be a welcomed safety tool for his workers.
“These cameras have proven to reduce the speeds in the work zone, reduce crashes and increase awareness in the work zone,” Zerilla said, adding that far too many drivers do not slow down while passing through the I-95 construction site.
The interchange project, which is the largest work zone in Delaware, involves building new flyover ramps from southbound Del. 896 to northbound I-95 and from southbound I-95 to southbound Del. 896. The flyovers will increase the distance between exit and entrance ramps, reducing the traffic weaving that causes crashes at the current interchange.
The project also includes widening a one-mile stretch of the interstate to provide for longer acceleration and deceleration lanes, as well as upgraded lighting, rehabilitation of 10 existing bridges, the construction of six new bridges for the flyovers, and the construction of a walking and biking bridge over the interstate.
Work began last spring and will continue into 2026.
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