Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) will be concealing themselves inside construction vehicles while taking part in a Pennsylvania Turnpike (PA Turnpike) enforcement detail this month.

For the month of April, PSP and the PA Turnpike are teaming up for ‘Operation Orange Squeeze,’ a work zone safety initiative that involves troopers sitting in construction vehicles in order to monitor traffic for unsafe behaviors like speeding and distracted driving.

Operation Orange Squeeze details have been taking place in Pennsylvania for almost a decade. During an April 2023 Operation Orange Squeeze effort, troopers issued more than 430 citations and nearly 400 warnings.

Turnpike officials are also reminding drivers of increased penalties for driving violations in work zones:

“In Pennsylvania, there are two distinct programs related to active work zones. Under Title 75, Section 3326, motorists caught by police driving 11 mph or more above the posted speed limit in an active work zone, or who are involved in a crash in an active work zone and are convicted for failing to drive at a safe speed, automatically lose their license for 15 days. Additionally, fines for certain traffic violations — including speeding, driving under the influence, and failure to obey traffic devices — are doubled for active work zones. The law also provides for up to five years of additional jail time for individuals convicted of homicide by vehicle for a crash that occurred in an active work zone,” the PA Turnpike Authority said.

“Safety has always been and will always be a key part of our culture,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “As we begin another construction season, we need drivers to work with us to provide safe work zones for everyone. More than half of our employees work out in the field to ensure our roadway remains ‘best in class’ for our customers, and paying attention in work zones is critical to helping our workers get home safely.”

“The importance of programs like ‘Operation Orange Squeeze’ is not necessarily enforcement but the safety aspect and how important it is to slow down and pay attention,” said Cpl. Richard Levan of PSP Troop T. “One highway death is one too many and that’s why we urge motorists to slow down and never drive distracted, especially in work zones.”