MnDOT had expressed interest in using cameras in work zones after a 2020 study monitoring speeds on I-94 near the Elm Creek Rest Area in Maple Grove while the freeway was under construction. "Most people understand speeding in work zones ... puts everyone at risk, changing lives instantly," MnDOT commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said during a kickoff event at the I-35W work zone Monday. "Too many people are speeding through work zones and putting people at risk." A bill passed by the Legislature in 2024 granted Minneapolis and Mendota Heights permission to set up speed cameras and ticket offending drivers caught going over the speed limit. Both pilot zones will be clearly marked with signs telling drivers cameras are ahead.