NDDOT & Highway Patrol Stress Importance Of 40 MPH Speed Limit On I-29

From June 1st to June 30th, The North Dakota highway patrol has conducted 183 traffic stops in that area.

FARGO, N.D.- NDDOT has been installing concrete median barriers on the off ramp from I-29 onto 13th Avenue to prevent head on crashes.

They say they have seen an increase of people going over the 40 miles per hour speed limit.

“DOT and Highway Patrol have been working together on this job quite a lot. They ramped up some enforcement in the area and they have been pulling quite a few people over. We also took some other suggestions, we’ve added some additional speed limit signs, beyond the requirements that we’re supposed to do, so that’s helped. And, we also closed another lane as well to try and make it a little bit safer,” says Transportation Engineer at NDDOT Justin Oss.

The crew is equipped with all the necessary vests as well as having lights on top of their vehicles, but it can still be easy to miss them.

“Even with it at 40, it is extremely difficult to get out and with people not following the speed limits it makes it even harder and it’s quite dangerous to be speeding through that work zone. Even though sometimes you’re going through and it looks like everybody’s protected, but there’s people coming and going all the time,” Oss adds.

The North Dakota Highway patrol says they will have a greater presence in that work zone to not only make sure that drivers follow the law, but to also prevent a possible accident from happening.

“What we’re asking motors to do is to voluntarily comply with the posted speed limit. Construction workers are out there for our benefit to improve our roadways and I know it can be frustrating at times, but it’s common courtesy to follow the speed limit, even though it’s the law, it’s just common courtesy,” says Sgt Wade Kadrmas, the Safety and Education Officer at ND Highway Patrol.