LANSING, Mich. – Lance Binoniemi, vice president of government affairs at the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association (MITA), issued the following statement after the Michigan House Judiciary Committee hearing on HB 5272, legislation that would allow for the placement of automated speed cameras in construction zones to protect Michigan’s road workers:
“We are supportive of the effort to ensure our road workers are protected while they’re on the job working to fix Michigan’s roads. Construction sites are dangerous places, especially when working on the side of highways with traffic moving at high rates of speed.
“In 2020, there were 4,035 work zone crashes alone in Michigan that resulted in 14 work zone fatalities and 1,050 work zone injuries. Keeping our road workers safe is a top priority for MITA. That’s why we’ve been an active participant in the Michigan Work Zone Safety Task Force, an effort between the highway construction industry, MITA, and the Michigan Department of Transportation focused on making work zones safe across Michigan. We’ve been hard at work for the past year to make sure our work zones are safe, and this legislation is a part of that effort.
“It’s clear that we need to take action to make sure the men and women who are working to fix our roads are protected while on the job site. We support this legislation, which would help protect our road workers by enforcing work zone speed limits with automated cameras. We must continue working to ensure our road workers have a safe day in the office at Michigan’s construction zones.”
The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association is a statewide trade association that represents a broad spectrum of heavy construction companies and suppliers that help build a better Michigan from the ground up. For more information, visit thinkmita.org.
