Starting January 12, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will begin issuing $75 civil penalties to drivers who exceed the speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour in the CO 119 Safety, Mobility & Bikeway Project work zone in Boulder County. This marks a shift from warnings to enforcement as part of CDOT’s Colorado Speed Enforcement Program.
The program began with a required 30-day warning period, which started in July 2025. During this time, motorists received warning notices but no fines. After January 12, any violation captured by automated cameras will result in a mailed notice of violation to the registered owner of the vehicle. Vehicle owners have 45 days to pay or dispute the violation through coloradospeedenforcement.com. If they do not respond, further legal actions may follow.
“Average speeds starkly decreasing on CO 119 means the Colorado Speed Enforcement Program is already doing its job to increase safety in the corridor,” said CDOT Chief Engineer Keith Stefanik. “Civil penalties are meant to curb the behavior of speeding drivers, not punish them. By moderating speed, we can save lives — plain and simple.”
Preliminary results indicate that since the program started on CO 119 between Boulder and Longmont, there has been an over 80% drop in high speeds within the work zone. Average speeds along Diagonal Highway are now between 53 and 56 miles per hour. In its first month, average speeds dropped by about eight miles per hour.
CDOT data shows that during 2025 there were 532 injuries from work zone crashes statewide—a nearly 12% decrease compared to 2024’s figure of 602 injuries. Work zone fatalities have also fallen sharply; so far in 2025 there have been eight deaths, down from thirty last year—a decline of approximately seventy-three percent. Since launching on CO 119, CDOT has issued over thirty-four thousand warning notices without monetary penalty during the initial phase.
National studies suggest automated enforcement programs reduce roadway injuries and fatalities by up to thirty-seven percent according to the Federal Highway Administration. Public support for camera technology remains broad due to its consistent enforcement.
Stopping distances increase significantly with speed: at sixty miles per hour stopping distance is roughly three hundred forty-five feet—over a third longer than at fifty miles per hour—according to figures from AASHTO cited by NHTSA. This becomes especially critical when driving through work zones where lanes shift and obstacles are unpredictable.
Enforcement sites are chosen based on crash and speed data identifying high-risk corridors as well as practical considerations for law enforcement presence. CDOT selected CO 119 for this initiative due to safety concerns amid ongoing construction on improvements including bus rapid transit and a continuous bike path; this project began in September 2024 and is scheduled for completion in 2027.
