Lead-footed drivers on Highway 240 better be prepared to back off the gas pedal or open their wallets.

Washington State Patrol troopers will be out in force looking for speeders on the highway between Kennewick and Richland, the state patrol said Thursday.

The two miles of highway, essentially between Columbia Center Boulevard and Interstate 182, is the top spot statewide for speeders for the second quarter in a row.

A recent survey showed 81 percent of vehicles drove at or above the 60 mph speed limit on the newly built stretch of highway, the state patrol said. And, more than 1,500 vehicles were clocked driving 90 mph or faster in the last three months of last year, according to the data.

The survey by the state Department of Transportation also showed the average vehicle speed was 63.2 mph on the highway, which leads other state roads with 60 mph limits. Nearly 6 percent were recorded driving more than 10 mph over the limit.

Two motorcycles and two unmarked Aggressive Driving Apprehension Team vehicles from the state patrol’s Kennewick detachment will “aggressively” enforce the speed limit, hoping to put the brakes on speeders, said Lt. Jay Cabezuela.

“They’re going to be out there every day … until we can hopefully have a positive impact with people’s driving behavior changing on that stretch of roadway,” Cabezuela said.

A speeding ticket for going 10 mph over the limit costs $113.

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North Dakota’s speeding and traffic fines are so low they make drivers laugh, and are out of step with penalties in several cities that set their own fines, law enforcement officers say.

“I don’t doubt that there’s somewhat of a reputation out there,” said Fargo Police Chief Keith Ternes. “As soon as you hit the border in North Dakota, press on the accelerator, because even if you get caught, the fine is little to nothing.”

Ternes spoke Friday at a House Transportation Committee hearing on legislation, introduced by Rep. Ed Gruchalla, D-Fargo, to greatly increase fines for speeding and other traffic violations. Gruchalla is a retired Highway Patrol sergeant.

The fines in North Dakota law prevail in regions where the local government has not established its own. State fines go into a trust fund that benefits schools, and they often are much lower than those in Fargo, Bismarck, Minot and other cities, which may set their own fines and keep the money.

For example, running a stop sign in most of rural North Dakota now carries a $20 fine. Gruchalla’s bill would raise the fine to $50. Bryan Klipfel, the commander of the North Dakota Highway Patrol, said the fine has not been changed since he joined the patrol in 1977.

In Fargo, a stop sign violation is now $100. In Jamestown and West Fargo, the current fine for running a stop sign is $30; in Dickinson and Minot, $40; in Bismarck, $50; and in Grand Forks, $71.

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