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Stepped-Up Patrols Crack Down on Work-Zone Speeding

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DURHAM — Lead feet are becoming costly in work zones along Interstate 85 in Durham.

TheDurham Police Department, theDurham County Sheriff's Officeand theN.C. Highway Patrolmet Wednesday morning to map out a strategy to combat dangerous driving in work zones.

They took their plan into action by the afternoon, spotting speeders and handing out $250 tickets.

"If we can deter the accidents altogether, that's our main goal," says Sgt. Adam Clayton with the sheriff's office.

Authorities also aim to make the working environment safer for workers completing a$49 million face liftof the I-85/Highway 70 interchange. Since work began last year, the area has been plagued with accidents and complaints about speeding and reckless drivers.

"We're getting a lot of complaints from citizens and business owners in the work zones, especially along I-85," Clayton says. "Coupled with the accidents we've had in the past, we're focusing on I-85."

Speeding is not the only target in the crackdown. Clayton says officers and deputies will use unmarked cars to spot and snuff out cases of road rage.

The patrols will continue until the project is finished sometime in 2003. Once completed, drivers coming from Raleigh on Highway 70 will have a direct exit onto I-85's northbound lanes.

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