Drivers urged to slow down after more than 230 speeding tickets issued

PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department is urging drivers to slow down when passing through the construction zone on U.S. 35.

“We’ve had some construction there for a quite a while, and we’ve had a lot of wrecks through this zone,” said Chief Deputy Eric Hayzlett with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department.

Since Sept. 21, the sheriff’s department has issued more than 230 speeding citations.

“The highest speed that we’ve written a ticket for is 90 miles per hour. Now, the radar buggies that show you your speed while going through they have detected a couple of cars over 100 mph down there,” Hayzlett said. “That’s a forty mile per hour zone, and there’s nothing good that can come with that.”

In an effort to keep the community safe, Hayzlett says slowing down is key.

“Any crash we had through there is speed-related,” Hayzlett said. “We don’t like to write tickets. It’s not our main goal here at the sheriff’s department, but if we can slow people down and save some lives, then we’re all for it.”

“Any crash that we’ve had in that area is speed-related. If you just slow down and go forty miles per hour, you’re not going to have any problems getting through there,” Hayzlett said.

Construction is expected to be finished by July 2021.