Investigators say the cameras could have helped them understand earlier the severity of the traffic jam between Madison and Janesville earlier this month.
The state bought the cameras for $20,000 in 2004 with a federal grant.
But transportation workers say the money to run them would have to come out of the department of transportation's already tight budget.
The DOT says the cameras seem like a good idea, but before the traffic jam, there were more pressing needs to spend money on.