State will target speeders as $27.8 million road work begins on 104 in Irondequoit, Rochester

Posted 17 April 2024 at 2:24 pm

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

During National Work Zone Awareness Week, Governor Kathy Hochul today highlighted State Route 104 within the Town of Irondequoit and City of Rochester, Monroe County, as a roadway that will be under intense scrutiny through the during the 2024 construction season.

This announcement comes after the Department of Transportation’s Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program registered multiple motorists traveling at life-threatening speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through work zones along the Route 104 corridor last year.

Additionally, this enhanced and bolstered enforcement comes as the Department is beginning a $27.8 million project in the 2024 and 2025 construction seasons between Ridgeway Avenue in the City of Rochester and Culver Road in the Town of Irondequoit.

“As work begins on an important project along State Route 104, I implore motorists to take heed and follow the rules of the road in state operated work zones,” Governor Hochul said. “The recorded speeds in work zones along State Route 104 last year were nothing short of alarming and could have been potentially deadly for highway workers, which is why we will be stepping up enforcement along this corridor as construction season gets under way.”

Last year, the State Department of Transportation’s Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement (AWZSE) program was deployed multiple times along State Route 104 and revealed some alarming statistics, including:

Motorists traveling through a work zone along State Route 104 recorded the program’s top three speeds: 139, 117, and 110 miles per hour.
The work zone along State Route 104 also witnessed a motorist-caused work zone intrusion where a vehicle crossed into construction and crashed into roadway signage. Fortunately, there were no injuries sustained.

“Operation Hardhat” will begin again in April in an effort to enforce vehicle and traffic laws in highway work zones. Under “Operation Hardhat”, State Troopers or local police officers are dressed as highway maintenance workers in active NYSDOT or Thruway work zones across New York, identifying and citing motorists for a number of violations, including disobeying flagging personnel, speeding through work zones, cell phone and seatbelt use, and/or violations of the State’s Move Over law. State Police has already committed to more Operation Hardhat deployments along the State Route 104 project in 2024.

As work begins on this $27.8 million project along State Route 104 in 2024 and 2025, among the enhancements to be delivered over this two-season construction project are:

Rehabilitation of 30.5 lane miles of pavement along the roadway, including service roads and ramps, between Ridgeway Avenue in the City of Rochester and Culver Road in the Town of Irondequoit.
New traffic signals along ramps and service roads throughout the project limits.
Modernized stormwater drainage to ensure roadway resiliency against the changing environment.
New American Disability Act-compliant curb ramps to enhance and better facilitate multi-modal transportation throughout the corridor.