June 1, 2026

By Lane Kimble

EAU CLAIRE — A squad car appearing in the rearview mirror makes most drivers anxious.

A State Patrol squad sitting near a new traffic pattern on I-94 this spring? That was a welcome sight for Jason Ivers.

“One hundred percent… It was a huge difference,” Ivers said.

The Hoffman Construction Company project manager says drivers completely changed their behavior when State Patrol was able to be there, going about 45 MPH through the updated configuration near Highway 53 instead of the frequent 70-plus.

“You have a semi go by you going 65 miles per hour, and all that’s between you and that semi is a barrel, you realize life can be fragile.

“Something bad can happen in an instant,” Ivers said.

With that in mind, State Patrol Troopers specifically focused on Hoffman’s 8 ½-mile reconstruction of the interstate near Eau Claire on Thursday with an added card up their sleeve: a State Patrol airplane tracking cars through the 60 MPH work zone.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation‘s Northwest Region invited WTBA and local media for speed enforcement ride-alongs for its turn at season-long, statewide safety events.

In two-and-a-half hours on Thursday, State Patrol troopers stopped 21 drivers for going an average of 19 MPH over the posted limit.  Eight of those stops included cars going 20-24 MPH over the limit.

“We count on construction crews to build and maintain an efficient and reliable transportation system and they need to be able to count on us to protect them while they work,” NW Region Capt. Craig Larson said.

A sworn deputy in the sky has his hands full, piloting the plane while timing drivers between painted lines on the freeway, then crunching the numbers to generate an accurate speed. He then radios troopers on the ground–who are waiting just beyond the construction zone–with descriptions of the car, its speed, and position.

Northwest Region Troopers pulled over more than 165 drivers doing at least 18 MPH over the speed limit in the I-94 work zone during five aerial traffic details in 2025. At least two drivers were going more than 100 MPH.

“What I hear a lot (from drivers) is just they’re not paying attention,” Trooper Cory Schalinske told WTBA after issuing a ticket Thursday morning to a driver going 82 in the 60 MPH zone.

“It feels good that we’re working hand in hand (with construction crews), that they recognize us. We recognize them and we want to make it safer for them.”

State Patrol aerial speed enforcement has been around since the 1950s and WisDOT does its best to let drivers know ahead of time that a mission is focused on a particular work zone. The goal, they say, is to educate more than punish.

Still, there are only so many planes and limited funds, which means police can’t protect every work zone every day. Jason Ivers wants police to know they’re welcome around his crews any time it’s possible.

“Having that enforcement out there, even just having lights on, is a huge deal,” Ivers said. “Those little things, the teamwork and the group effort to make that safe was appreciated.”