The Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration have approved West Hartford’s submitted speed management camera plan, and the cameras will be operational later this year.

Second public meeting on the Speed Management Camera Program. Sept. 3, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

By Ronni Newton

The Town of West Hartford has received the needed approvals and will deploy automated speed enforcement cameras in 15 locations, with plans for the devices to be operational by early fall of 2026, if not by the end of the summer.

Director of Community Development Duane Martin told We-Ha.com that the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) approval was granted last week, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has also approved West Hartford’s program. The latter was a step that not all towns have to take, but was a requirement for West Hartford because the funding for the automated speed management program came through a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant.

Martin said the town applied to the CTDOT through the Office of State Traffic Administration (OSTA) months ago, after the Town Council unanimously approved the speed management camera program in December 2025. That program had been developed through a robust multi-step process involving public outreach and extensive data analysis as required by the state.

West Hartford first announced plans to implement an Automated Traffic Enforcement Safety Device (ATESD) plan more than two years ago, and applied for and received a $669,007 federal SS4A grant in 2023 to support implementation of an 18-month pilot of the speed management program as a recommended component of its Vision Zero initiative, adopted in January 2023.

Before even submitting its plans for state and federal approval, the town had to adopt an ordinance to allow for the use of automated traffic enforcement devices, and that ordinance was adopted on April 8, 2025. Many of the parameters of the automated traffic enforcement device ordinance are dictated by state statute – as part of House Bill 5917, legislation passed by the general assembly in 2023 – allowing the use of such devices in Connecticut.

Town of West Hartford (we-ha.com file image)

“We have one of the biggest if not the biggest camera programs in the state,” Martin said, and the demographics of the town differ from some of the 15 other towns that have received approval from CTDOT. Compared to the total road mileage in West Hartford (217 miles), not much is state highway, and West Hartford also has a lot of people coming to town as a destination as well as passing through town on streets where speeds are often 30-35mph, and speeding is rampant.

The town, which worked with consultant VHB on the application process, submitted 20 locations – 15 primary and five alternate sites. Sixteen of those were approved – including one of the alternate sites, on South Main Street (south of New Britain Avenue near Calvin Road). The intent is for cameras to be deployed at the 15 identified primary sites, featured on the map above and listed below, unless the vendor chosen for the installation and management of the program determines a site won’t work, in which case the approved alternate site will be used.

Speed camera locations. Town of West Hartford website

The approved speed camera management plan, which can be reviewed on the town’s website, is more than 300 pages long, and includes details about each of the sites, including the speeding-related crashes that have occurred in that zone, average speed and percentage of traffic exceeding the speed by at least 10mph, traffic volume, and the number of citations for speeding issued by police on that stretch of roadway between August 2022 and August 2024.

Data provided for one of the speed management camera locations. Town of West Hartford

Data provided for one of the speed management camera locations. Town of West Hartford

Data provided for one of the speed management camera locations. Town of West Hartford

Martin said the town submitted extra locations to ensure flexibility, hoping that at least 15 would be approved. He said the state did a very thorough review, and initially ruled out three of the submitted locations – Bloomfield Avenue, Simsbury Road, and Farmington Avenue near Whiting Lane – for a variety of reasons, including lack of data supporting a camera at that location.

In addition to the three initially declines, Prospect Avenue, between Farmington Avenue and Kane Street, had been identified as an alternate location, Martin said. The state raised concerns because it’s on the border of a qualified census tract where only a certain number of speed management cameras can be located. That location also needed approval by the City of Hartford, which has submitted its own speed management camera program, and Martin said the town agreed to take it out of consideration. He noted that Prospect Avenue is scheduled for repaving this year, and will be restriped with a road diet – which should slow traffic.

The approved locations are actually “zones,” and once the vendor is chosen, the precise locations of the cameras will be finalized. The bid process is underway, and bids are due to be opened on May 28, Martin said. The RFP is for a vendor to handle West Hartford’s speed management camera program as well as the red-light running program – the latter of which is still in the planning stages but expected to be approved by the fall. Martin said it makes sense to have the same vendor handle both programs.

“We anticipate the speed cameras will be deployed by the fall – although it could be by the end of the summer,” Martin said. “Deployed and operational.”

The vendor selected by the town will create a dedicated webpage for the program housed under the police department, set up the mechanism for issuing citations, and perform other behind-the-scenes functions, Martin said. A member of the police department – either a certified officer or staff member to whom the role has been delegated – will review the images from the cameras before any citations are issued.

A 30-day awareness campaign is required before the cameras are in operation, and signage and notification to navigation applications is also required.

Town of West Hartford (we-ha.com file image)

As required by the state, there is also a 30-day grace period after the program begins when violators will receive a warning. After that, first offenses within a one year period will result in a $50 fine, and subsequent violations will be $75. The amount of the fines are set by the state and they are municipal citations not moving violations – similar to a parking ticket – and are issued to the owner of the vehicle, not to the driver. A $15 per citation processing fee is also permitted.

The recorded images will show the license plate only, and the citation will be mailed to the address of the owner of record as indicated by the DMV. Owners may appeal within 10 days of the date of citation.

State law requires that funds from the fines – which are expected to be significant in the early stages of the program – be invested back into the community to support transportation safety and mobility improvements, infrastructure enhancements, or costs associated with the ATESD program. The additional staffing will be initially be funded by the SS4A grant, and it’s anticipated that revenue from the program will support staffing in the future, along with other Vision Zero projects.

If the program is successful, there is an option for an 18-month extension before a new application needs to be made to the state.

Data collection will continue to determine the effectiveness of the cameras at each location.

“This will change people’s behavior for the better,” Martin said of the speed management program.

The town began the official process of submitting an application to CTDOT and FHWA for its red-light running program, and held a public information session Tuesday night at the Elmwood Community Center.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab