Interstate 35W is a main corridor for many drivers from Itasca to Northlake. Police departments keep an eye on speeding drivers, so how much do drivers end up paying in citations?
Drivers in Northlake received more than $6 million in traffic citations in the last ten years, averaging around $600,000 a year, records show.
NBC 5 requested the 2017 traffic citation numbers. Here's how Northlake compares to other similarly-sized cities along the I-35W corridor:
Northlake, population 2,397: 5,491 tickets
Grandview, population 1,656: 2,174 tickets
Alvarado, population 3,993: 5,486 tickets
Hillsboro, population 8,362: 7,586 tickets
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“We average about 6,000 citations a year or 17 a day. Our traffic counts just for I-35W are over 41,000 vehicles per day. That’s one ticket for every 2,400 vehicle or 0.04 percent,” Northlake Town Administrator Drew Corn said in an email.
Corn also added that traffic enforcement on I-35W is important because of drug trafficking taking place.
“Many of these traffic stops uncover drug smugglers,” Corn said. “A Northlake officer once uncovered 30 gallons of Rohypnol or date rape drug during a traffic stop on the Interstate.”
Drivers who frequent the area are have noticed the tickets.
“I haven’t gotten a ticket in the Northlake area in several years,” said Fort Worth resident Monica Lackey. “I don’t feel like I don’t see more than normal.”
“I don’t see too many people get pulled over, but I do know they sit on the side of the road and they do sneak up on you,” said Fairview resident Gaye Arnold.
Officials around the I-35W corridor said officers are writing tickets for speeds well in excess of posted limits.
“Although, there were a few citations written for going 9 to 13 miles over the speed limit, the vast majority were for 14 to 20 miles over,” Corn said.
