Are construction zone speed limits enforced in Illinois when workers aren’t there?

Summertime commutes often lead drivers by construction zones, both with workers present and absent from the work sites. Those two scenarios seem different on paper, but perhaps should be treated as much of the same.

Generally speaking, construction zones near busy streets or highways will show signs with reduced speed limits. Transportation officials set these limits to help drivers slow down, especially to prevent setbacks and ensure worker safety at construction sites.

All work zone projects take time to complete, and inevitably, workers will need to take breaks. That’s how you might encounter a work zone without others around. If that’s the case, and you’re traveling along a work zone without any major traffic jams, you may be tempted to drive by it faster than the reduced speed or at least closer to the normal speed limit.

At the very least, that possibility should have drivers wondering, is it legal to speed by construction zones without workers present? Or to put it another way, are construction zone speed limits enforced when workers aren’t around?

If you’re driving in the St. Louis region, you’ll want to keep the state laws of Missouri and Illinois in mind:

Illinois

The most recent statute in Illinois to address speed limits in construction zones was last updated in 2022.

Illinois Vehicle Code (Section 625 ILCS 5/11-605.1) explains:

“A person may not operate a motor vehicle in a construction or maintenance speed zone at a speed in excess of the posted speed limit when workers are not present.”

Illinois Vehicle Code Section 625 ILCS 5/11-605.1

This specific part of the statute penalizes a driver for speeding in a construction zone in the case that there are not construction workers on site. The statute further penalizes a driver for driving “in excess of the posted speed limit when workers are present.”

According to the Illinois Vehicle Code, violations in either case could lead to a minimum fine of $250 after the first offense and $750 after every additional offense as they pertain to driving above a posted speed limit in work zones.

Short answer : Are construction zone speed limits enforced in Illinois when workers aren’t around? Yes.

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