Colorado is ramping up its crackdown on speeding, deploying automated enforcement cameras on Interstate 25 north of metro Denver, a push to control illegal behavior that a state survey found to be common.
Drivers will face activated cameras starting next week — eight of them set up in a work zone along I-25 between Mead and Berthoud. Civil fines of $75 for drivers caught on camera exceeding the speed limit won’t kick in until spring.
“I-25 carries a high volume of traffic, and when you combine that with active construction, the margin for error gets very small,” chief engineer Keith Stefanik said in an emailed statement. “Slowing down and not exceeding the speed limit is one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep everyone safe.”
CDOT crews installed the eight cameras along a stretch of I-25 where workers are building new express lanes in each direction. Starting March 1, drivers caught speeding will receive one-time warning notices for a month before CDOT begins issuing the fines, likely around April 2, agency officials announced this week.
Signs will be posted at least 300 feet ahead of the cameras to notify drivers.
It’s the first deployment of speed cameras on an interstate in Colorado, following their introduction last July in a work zone along Colorado 119 — the Diagonal Highway — between Boulder and Longmont.
State records show 34,000 warnings were given along Colorado 119 between July and December 2025, and that authorities, since Jan. 12, when full enforcement began, have issued 5,405 violations. CDOT officials said they’ve seen an 80% decrease in high speeds in that work zone since the warning period began.
“We’re starting with work zones because the technology allows for enforcement in areas where it otherwise can be difficult and where nearby workers are especially vulnerable,” CDOT spokesman Matt Inzeo said.
Transportation officials may expand speed camera use along interstates, Inzeo said. No timetable has been set.
Colorado lawmakers in 2023 authorized the use of automated speed limit enforcement.
Over the past month, during tests, the camera system along north I-25 has found that about 10% of drivers exceeded the posted 65 mph speed limit by more than 10 mph.
A 2025 CDOT survey found 70% of Coloradans admitted to speeding on highways.
In 2025, speed was a factor in more than 1,200 crashes, which led to 91 fatalities, state records show.
The speed cams in work zones photograph drivers and time-stamp the images at two locations. The automated system calculates an average speed through the corridor.
When full enforcement begins, drivers caught speeding will have 45 days to pay their fines or appeal the notices they receive. Violations won’t result in the deduction of driver’s license points.
Revenues from fines will be used mostly to fund the speed limit enforcement program, CDOT officials said. Excess funds will be used to help protect vulnerable road users.
