Iowa roadways will be more congested this holiday weekend and that’s prompting the Department of Transportation to issue a warning about road construction zones. Iowa D.O.T. spokesman Pete Hjelmstad says there might not be much activity in those areas, but motorists still need to slow down.
“Just because there aren’t workers there, doesn’t mean that you don’t have to follow the speed limits and lane restrictions around the work zones,” Hjelmstad said. Speeding in work zones can be both dangerous and expensive.
Hjelmstad says the fines for speeding in work zones are more than double the regular fine. Motorists traveling through Iowa can map their route and possibly avoid delays caused by construction zones by checking out the website www.511ia.org.
“That shows all the work zones on state highways in Iowa,” Hjelmstad said. “It’s very helpful and there are also links that take you to some of the surrounding states.” During the 2009 Memorial Day weekend, there were 12 fatalities on the state’s highways.
By Bob Fisher, KGLO, Mason City