MADISON, Wis. -- In the wake of a Dane County highway worker's death earlier this month, local law enforcement are stepping up efforts to keep workers safe in construction zones.

The Madison Police Department's Traffic Enforcement Safety Team targeted drivers in the 3100 block of East Washington Avenue on Tuesday. Speed is reduced to 30 mph in that construction zone, but officers clocked some drivers going almost 60 mph.

"I guess from our perspective [this is a] target rich environment for us, but at the same time you want the public to realize just how dangerous it is out here and they need to slow down," said Sgt. Eric Tripke, of the Madison Police Department.

Tripke said the lane closures, heavy equipment in the East Washington area, workers on foot and construction debris is making the work zone more dangerous.

Nearly three weeks ago on June 4, a Dane County high worker was killed while working on Highway 151, near Reiner Road, just outside Sun Prairie.

James Porter's co-workers would later honor him at his visitation with a procession. The group wore the same high-visibility vests they were while working to raise awareness about the state "move over" law.

The 61-year-old Porter was from Monona. He was the eighth Wisconsin worker to die in a work zone crash since 1998.

The recent high temperatures are also causing buckling pavement on roads across the state. The work is keeping construction crews very busy -- even into the night -- and they're thinking about their safety.

For Joe Cockroft and his crew, Tuesday was one of those days.

"It's been hectic," he said. "And with this heat like this it's hard because these guys aren't taking breaks they're going right through it."

Cockroft has been on the job for five years. He said workers will often physically gesture to drivers going too fast.

"You could be jack hammering one minute and have a car go within a foot within you the next just because they don't respect it," Cockroft said. "We just lost a compadre of ours not too long ago, if people could just slow down and move over for us."

The Dane County Sheriff's Department is also stepping up enforcement since Porter’s death.

"We're just trying to keep people safe that are working out on the roads," said Elise Schaffer, public information officer for the Dane County Sheriff's Department.

In two special, weekend enforcements, Dane County deputies issued more than 100 citations to drivers failing to move over or slow down when approaching construction zones or a parked emergency vehicle with its lights on.

"They maybe looking at the accident that just happened or the person that just got pulled over and not really thinking about the fact that they need to pull over and slow down," Schaffer said.

As the construction season intensifies and duty calls work crews hope drivers pay extra attention.

"Everybody wants to go home, we want to go home tonight, we might be working until 9 p.m. tonight, so just move over and slow down so we can get 'em done as fast as we can,” said Cockroft.

The special, stepped-up enforcements will continue in construction zones throughout the summer.

The penalties for careless driving in work zones are costly. Ticket fines double. If a motorist injures someone, they could face up to three and a half years in prison. If they kill someone, a vehicular manslaughter charge, carries up to 10 years in prison.