Grace period ends Tuesday for speeders in MTA bridge and tunnel work zones
From Sept. 22 a camera inside a work zone means a bill instead of a warning. The first one is $50 for going more than 10 mph over the limit past a crew.
Warnings stop on Tuesday, Sept. 22. From that date, a driver clocked speeding through an active work zone on one of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s nine vehicular crossings in the five boroughs gets a bill rather than a notice. The warning-only stretch opened June 30.
Enforcement runs out of unmarked vehicles parked inside construction and maintenance areas during working hours. The trigger point is 10 mph over the posted limit, and anything faster than that is recorded. Signs go up ahead of each enforcement area, and a certified technician has to review and validate a recorded violation before the registered owner of the vehicle is sent a citation.
What an MTA work zone speed camera ticket costs
$50 covers a first violation. A second one inside 18 months lifts the figure to $75, and a third or anything after it within that same 18-month stretch runs $100 apiece. Leave a fine unpaid and late fees pile on top.
Four routes exist for clearing the bill: a website, a phone app, the mail, or a walk-in visit to one of the city Finance Department’s business centers. Nothing lands on a license, because the violation is a civil, non-moving one, and auto insurance companies are not notified about it.
Why the MTA switched from warnings to fines
The equipment has covered 200 work zones since June 30, and more than 15,780 warning notices have gone out. Radar counted over 33,000 vehicles at least 10 mph above the limit, with drivers in those zones averaging 14.5 mph over. At the far end, one driver hit 111 mph where the sign read 45. Another reached 109 mph in a zone posted at 35.
Automated work zone speed monitoring on state highways was authorized by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2021. Lawmakers in Albany broadened the law in 2025 so that MTA-operated bridges and tunnels fell under it, with the stated aim of reducing injuries and deaths among road workers. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge are among the crossings where the mobile cameras can turn up.
Quick answers
When do the MTA work zone speed camera fines start?
Tuesday, Sept. 22. From June 30 until then, drivers caught by the cameras received warning notices only.
How much is a work zone speed camera ticket?
$50 for a first violation, $75 for a second inside 18 months and $100 for each further violation in that 18-month window.
Will the ticket add points to my license?
No. These are civil, non-moving violations, so no points are assessed, and the citations are not reported to auto insurers.
