Joplin Police Department offers tips on driving through construction zones

(From the Joplin Police Department)

TIP TUESDAY!

Todays tip deals with construction zone speed.

We were asked this question:
Does the road construction reduced speed limit have to be obeyed 24 hours of everyday during the construction period? Or can drivers go back to obeying the normal speed limit for that area when construction is not being done (i.e. over night, weekends, and holidays)?

Answer: If a speed limit sign is posted by in a construction zone, then that's the speed limit, no matter the time of day or if work is taking place or not. However, when workers are present the fine doubles. If there are no construction workers in the zone then the fine would be normal. Most of the time in Joplin you don't see speed limit reduced signs in construction zones unless the limit is being redused to less than 20 Mph. That's because all work zones, posted or not, have a maximum speed limit of 20Mph.

So remember, next time you see that construction zone sign, the speed limit will be 20mph unless posted lower.

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Sec. 114-239. Construction zones established—Speed limit.
(a) For the purposes of this section the term "construction zone" shall mean any section of road way under city jurisdiction where construction or major maintenance operations are being effected.
(b) Any such "construction zone" shall be designated by posting a sign indicating the presence of construction or major maintenance work and the maximum speed limit within that section of roadway under construction or maintenance.
(c) All vehicles entering a "construction zone" shall proceed at a speed not to exceed 20 miles per hour until clearing the zone. However, the director of the public works department is hereby authorized and empowered to fix a lower speed if in his discretion he reasonably believes that a certain section of roadway due to its characteristics or the nature of the maintenance or construction work creates an increased danger to the public or to construction workers.

Similar provisions, RSMo 304.351.