Drivers passing through the construction zone at Mount Auburn Road between Hopper Road and Independence Street need to slow down, Cape Girardeau police say.

The construction in the area drops the speed limit down to 20 miles per hour from 35, and so far this month, 37 percent of the speeding tickets given out in the city have been issued to drivers in that zone, said Cpl. Adam Glueck, spokesman for the police department.

Glueck said police stepped up their presence in that area after they received complaints from both citizens living in the neighborhood and from construction workers.

"The workers out there are really concerned about speeding," he said.

Officers have doled out over 40 verbal warnings in the work zone since July 1, Glueck said.