IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — State and local officials filled the Irondequoit Department of Public Works on Wednesday with an urgent message: slow down and pay attention to construction workers as the weather gets warm; lives are at stake.

On top of that, concerns are heightened tenfold, as a brand new $28 million investment launches to improve State Route 104. 

If highways were a family, 104 is the problem child. That’s according to NYS Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez.

The Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement Program caught three drivers going over 100 miles per hour, in the first year it was instated. Thankfully, no one was injured, but there were workers present.

As the pilot-program heads into its second year, Dominguez warned drivers you will be ticketed if you speed in these zones.

According to the NYS DOT, there will always be workers wherever you see a work zone. 

Dominguez said officers clocked one driver at 139 miles an hour, one at 117 and one at 110 miles an hour.

For this reason, the DOT wants 104 to be under intense scrutiny as the weather gets warmer.

“But this year, part of the message is not just that 104 is a place that we’ve clocked high speeds, not just that we’re doing camera enforcement, but we’re going to be out there in, I’ll say, a bigger presence,” said Marie Therese Dominguez. “Because New York State DOT is kicking off a $28 million dollar investment.”

The improvements will take place along Ridgeway Avenue in the City of Rochester and Culver Road in Irondequoit.

“When you’re out there in the roadway and someone drives by at that speed, can you imagine, the movement of air – let alone the fear for your safety? Come on,” said Dominguez. “They’re out there doing their jobs. Look at their faces. Look at their faces. Because these are the folks that are out there keeping you safe, you need to keep them safe.”

The new construction projects includes rehabilitation of 30 miles of pavement, including service roads and ramps, modernized stormwater drainage, and new American Disability Act-Compliant ramps.

“As our highway workers invest their time and effort into bettering our roads, we should prioritize their safety, while they do their jobs,” said Irondequoit Town Supervisor Andrae Evans.

Commissioner Domingues said you can contest the speeding tickets if you get a letter in the mail.

The catch is, you have three options to choose from on the notice: the car on camera had to have been stolen, rented, or sold. There is an option to write your own explanation if none of those options apply.

According to the state website, the dispute will be reviewed and the notice will either be dismissed, or denied with an option to pay or, “alternatively be referred to the appropriate court for a hearing.”