CHENANGO — Police issued 109 tickets during a four-hour Operation Hard Hat detail within a work zone on Interstate 81 today.
The detail was a combined effort with the New York State Police and the Broome County Sheriff’s Department to combat dangerous behavior in work zones.
Crews from the Department of Transportation were repairing bridge rail over Front Street.
The area is a 55 mph zone and just the left lane was closed, while two others were still open to accommodate the flow of traffic.
Operation Hard Hat targets reckless and distracted drivers in work zones and cracks down on work zone violations while highlighting the importance of safe driving when approaching construction, maintenance and emergency operations along state highways.
During the detail, troopers are embedded in an active construction zone and dressed as construction workers.
Troopers watch for reckless behavior like speeding or people using electronic devices.
The citations included 27 for operating electronic devices, 36 for speeding, 27 for not wearing seatbelts and 19 for other violations.
The highest speed recorded was 87 mph in the 55 mph zone.
