OLYMPIA, Wash. – A bill introduced in Olympia would establish speed cameras in Washington state highway work zones.

The Senate Transportation Committee held a public hearing on SB 5272 on Monday afternoon, January 23rd.

A spokesman for a general contractor association was among those who favored the bill.

“Those on highway job sites, despite implementations of state-of-the-art safety programs, remain vulnerable to speeding drivers,” said the spokesman.

A road worker was also among those who testified.

“It makes me absolutely sick to my stomach not knowing if I’m going to come home every day to my family, my ten-year-old son, and my 14-year-old daughter,” said the worker. “And it makes just as sick (not knowing) if my fellow crew members will be able to come home.”

The traffic cameras established under the bill would only capture photos of vehicles and their license plates, not drivers or passengers.