Crime & Safety

Police Increase Route 30 Patrol During Construction

New Lenox police have issued 263 speeding tickets in the Route 30 construction zone so far in 2012.

have issued 263 speeding tickets in the Route 30 construction zone this year, and the village wants to remind motorists to drive safely along the way.

The long-awaited Route 30 project, , involves reconstructing the roadway, building a second lane in both directions and adding a raised concrete median for 9 miles through New Lenox, Mokena and Frankfort. 

Traffic has slowed significantly in New Lenox as construction crews build temporary lanes and navigate trucks in and out of the area. To make sure more hazards aren't added the the equation, police are monitoring the area with a greater emphasis. 

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"We're spending some time and effort to make it as safe as possible," New Lenox police chief Bob Sterba said. 

The village also posted a notice on its website to remind drivers that the speed limit for the length of the road project is 35 mph. Officers may also write tickets for drivers using cell phones, unless they are hands-free or voice-activated, even when workers aren't present. 

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Police provided a breakdown of tickets written in the construction zone, which in New Lenox stretches from near Joliet Highway to the east through Williams Street, in front of Walmart, to the west. 

Through April 25, 2012, police issued 706 tickets, with 37 percent of those for speeding. About 12 percent of the tickets issued were for the illegal use of a cell phone. 

Offense Jan. Feb. March April* Total Speeding 77 79 93 14 263 Suspended/revoked license 11 5 1 0 17 Traffic sign/signal violation 9 8 9 1 27 No lights 4 4 2 0 10 No child seat 3 1 3 0 7 Fail to yield  5 0 2 0 7 Use of cell phone 13 4 49 13 79 Improper display of registration 13 9 23 2 47 Improper lane usage 6 6 6 2 20 Improper lighting 32 10 16 0 58 Illegal passing 1 1 0 0 2 Illegal turn 1 0 0 1 2 No seatbelt  2 0 3 0 5 No tail lights  2 3 2 1 8 No vaild license 3 5 8 0 16 No registration 2 0 1 1 4 No insurance 23 15 32 8 78 Other equipment violation 2 2 0 0 4 Possession of marijuana 2 0 0 0 2 Possession of controlled substance 2 0 0 0 2 DUI 0 0 1 0 1 Reckless driving 1 2 0 0 3 Following too closely 0 0 1 0 1 Warning/moving violation 3 4 21 1 29 Anti-theft law 0 0 1 0 1 No village sticker 0 0 1 0 1 No safety sticker 0 2 5 0 7 Failure to signal 1 0 4 0 5 Total 217 161 284 44 706

*Numbers for this month are through April 25. These figures reflect tickets written along Route 30 between Williams Street and Joliet Highway.

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