March 13, 2026

By Lane Kimble

Moving operations for pavement marking will get some additional safety attention during the 2026 construction season.

WisDOT plans to pilot joint enforcement operations with State Patrol in its Southwest Region epoxy lets.

The Department is also piloting an automatic LIDAR alert system, which sets off lights and sirens if a driver gets too close to the end of a marking train. In the Northwest region, WisDOT will run a manual warning system on an epoxy let.

WisDOT met with contractors, counties, and DOT employees to strategize on the pavement marking pilots. Aerial work zone speed enforcement with State Patrol will also return to eight or nine projects after successful operations last year.

The pilots and safety plans were part of the discussion Thursday during the Work Zone Safety Task Force’s first quarterly meeting of 2026. Other topics included speed safety cameras, smart work zones, and maintenance of traffic control.

The Task Force is made up of about 50 industry stakeholders including WisDOT, law enforcement, counties, and industry members. WTBA’s Elise Nelson, Matt Grove, and Lane Kimble all serve on the panel.

The group’s next meeting will be in June 2026. Membership is open to anyone in the industry with interest. Head HERE to sign up.