With speeds increasing sharply on Connecticut highways, state officials will be installing special cameras in work zones next year to improve safety and catch speeders.

Depending on the infraction, some tickets could be as high as $200 each. Drivers can appeal the fines in court in the same way as any other speeding ticket.

The portable speed detection devices can be moved from site to site and do not require extensive construction such as laying fiber optic cable. In similar fashion, portable radar units on wheels that flash the speed at the approaching driver have been used for years.

The highway technology is similar, and drivers will see their speed flashing as they head through the work zone. The camera will then take a picture of the license plate, and the state will mail a ticket to the home of the plate’s owner.

While final statistics are not yet available with more than three weeks left in the year, officials say there have already been too many deaths on state highways due largely to increased speeds.

“This is going to be the deadliest year in history on Connecticut highways. It would be remarkable if it wasn’t, given where we were at the end of November,’’ said Rep. Roland Lemar, the co-chairman of the legislature’s transportation committee. “Average travel speeds are extraordinary — starting during the pandemic and continuing since then. We have not seen the level of police activity on our highways. They’re just not pulling over anywhere near as many people as they used to.’’

Rather than collecting money, Lemar said the main goal is protecting workers as they cut the grass on the center median, move trees limbs that have fallen or perform other tasks as drivers zoom close by at high rates of speed.

“This isn’t a cash cow program,’’ said Lemar, a New Haven Democrat. “This isn’t intended to just generate money for the state of Connecticut. This is really meant to address what we see on Connecticut highways right now.’’

But Andrew Matthews, a retired trooper who now serves as executive director of the state police union, said the primary purpose of the move is simply to raise money for the state.

“It’s a revenue generator,’' Matthews said in an interview. “That’s all it is — 100%.’'

Matthews said troopers strongly opposed the proposal during the legislative session, but it was placed months later into a 790-page budget implementation bill that often escapes close legislative scrutiny due to the sheer size of the document and the short time frame for reading the legislation.

“I don’t think the public will tolerate speed cameras,’’ said Matthews, an attorney. “There will be a constitutional claim on it. There will be a question whether it’s constitutional or not.’'

For years, state lawmakers have rejected the concept of “red light’' cameras that have been installed on Long Island and other places where drivers receive a ticket for running a red light. The highway cameras are slightly different because they do not involve traffic intersections. Some lawmakers and advocates have objected to the concept of “Big Brother’' as government is watching the movements of citizens.

“There’s always been opposition to the use of automated technology, and we appreciate that,’’ Lemar said. “Our goal was to prove the efficacy of the program, and that’s why we’re starting with limited locations in highway work zones.’’

The program will start next year under a pilot that was approved by the legislature and will be administered by the state transportation department.

Modeled after programs in Maryland and Pennsylvania, the Connecticut plan is designed to sharply reduce speeds in the work zones.

“I’m not sure why, but the state police are not as active at pulling people over and enforcing speed limits on our highways,’’ Lemar said. “The numbers are way down — way down.’’

Matthews responded that the biggest factor is the sharp drop in troopers compared to more than a decade ago. Gov. Ned Lamont has announced that the number of state troopers is expected to increase as 66 rookie troopers are currently being trained in the police academy before they can be placed out on the roads.

“In our opinion, it’s another attack on law enforcement,’' Matthews said. “They want less interaction between law enforcement and the public, and this is the way they do it. They just cameras in place of us.’'

The number of troopers has dropped at one point last year to 857 troopers, down from about 1,300 during the tenure of Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell. For years, the troopers had a minimum of 1,248 under state law, but that law was stripped out in a budget implementation bill during the tenure of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating