Speed cameras will no longer be used along the I-76 construction project in Norton, bringing the program to an end sooner that had been expected.
Police Chief John A. Dalessandro made the announcement Wednesday afternoon, saying the city "has met several times with [the Ohio Department of Transportation] and has learned that the construction project is nearing the final phase." During the beginning of the project that saw the freeway's speed limit reduced to 55 miles per hour, several lane and shoulder restrictions were in place, and officials said the cameras were needed as cops were not able to easily pull over speeding drivers.
However, many were shocked to learn in November that the cameras had caught a staggering 9,352 speeding drivers over the less-than-two-month period they were in place, and now police say that number was actually over 11,000. While those citations did not add any points to drivers' records, they did lead to fines of roughly $1.8 million, about 60 percent of which would go back to the city of Norton.
Despite some criticism, local politicians said the cameras were not a money grab, insisting their top priority was highway safety. Indeed, Dalessandro said the speed enforcement program "resulted in the significant decrease in crashes in this construction zone," citing just eight crashes in October and three in November compared to an average of 15 per month from January through September.
Still, the city council had promised the cameras would be taken out upon completion of the project, and the program was actually suspended on Nov. 5 due to a downtown in construction during the winter. The cameras had been expected to go back up this spring and remain in place until late in the year. However, it now appears they will not be returning at all, and authorities instead will be relying on their Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP).
With construction entering the final stages, both shoulders have been opened and made it safer for officers to pull people over. The speed limit has also been raised back to 65 miles per hour.
