Lawmakers hear ALDOT on uptick in traffic fatalities, work‑zone safety and possible construction‑zone camera legislation

Ed Austin, chief engineer at the Alabama Department of Transportation, told the Joint Transportation Oversight Committee that the state has seen a modest uptick in severe and fatal crashes after recent years of improvement and that the increases include pedestrians and work‑zone incidents.

“We are seeing a little bit of an uptick this year,” Austin said, adding that the department receives near-daily updates from crash-reporting systems and that work‑zone safety and enforcement are ongoing concerns as traffic volumes rise.

Committee members emphasized workplace safety for road crews. Representative Woodrow, citing a recent pedestrian death on U.S. Highway 90 in Mobile County, urged the committee to support public‑awareness outreach and coordination with enforcement to reduce fatalities. Austin suggested ALDOT could engage industry groups (road builders and asphalt pavers) and that those groups would likely participate in outreach and options discussions.

Senator Allen said the committee is researching legislation on construction‑zone cameras for the next legislative session and urged members to monitor the effort. “We’re looking … at a piece of legislation for next year, dealing with construction zones on cameras,” he said, and asked committee members and staff to be alert to developments as research continues.

ALDOT staff said the department will share traffic‑fatality data and emails to committee members; the committee clerk will distribute the materials to members for further review.

Why it matters: a rise in traffic fatalities and work‑zone incidents affects public safety directly and could prompt legislative or programmatic changes in enforcement, outreach and work‑zone practices. The committee signaled interest in a policy response, including possible construction‑zone camera legislation and expanded public‑awareness campaigns.