JEFFERSON CITY – As the new law permitting the Missouri Department of Transportation to increase rural highway speed limits to 75 mph nears its Aug. 28 effective date, MoDOT shared a look into its ongoing evaluation of eligible locations. No changes will take effect until that evaluation is complete.
“There’s a balance to be struck here between efficient traffic movement and safety, so we’re taking careful consideration of any potential location, what the roadway is like there and how people use it,” said MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger. “Our mission at MoDOT is to provide a safe and reliable transportation system, so this evaluation helps us make sure any changes to the speed limit don’t come at the expense of a safe trip.”
Under the new law, MoDOT retains the ability to set highway speed limits and has a responsibility to set limits that are reasonably safe considering the various factors of each roadway. The following is a list of some of those factors that are being evaluated at each location to determine where the speed limit could be increased to 75 mph:
- Current traffic volumes
- Truck traffic volumes
- Crash history
- Terrain
- Road design, including the presence of safety countermeasures
- Existing speed limits of border states in eligible areas near the state line
- Active construction: Interstate 70’s speed limit will not increase during the historic rebuild and expansion delivered through the Improve I-70 Program. MoDOT will reevaluate this corridor upon completion of the program.
“We’re hoping to complete this review of the eligible locations by the end of the year and provide an update on the path forward,” said Hassinger. “For now, we implore drivers to obey the posted speed limits, especially in our hundreds of work zones across the state.”
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For more information, call MoDOT at 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org.
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