Missouri transportation officials say a new law that raises speed limits on some rural interstates to 75 miles per hour won’t take effect until an evaluation of eligible locations is completed.
That means the new law will NOT take effect on August 28. Missouri’s current speed limit is 70 miles per hour.
Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) director Ed Hassinger says there’s a balance to be struck between traffic movement and safety, so they’re taking careful consideration of any potential location. Director Hassinger says MoDOT’s mission is to provide a safe and reliable transportation system, adding that the evaluation helps MoDOT make sure that any changes to the speed limit don’t come at the expense of a safe trip.
Governor Mike Kehoe signed the speed limit change bill into law this summer. The new law says MoDOT retains the ability to set highway speed limits.
MoDOT plans to evaluate several factors to determine where speed limits can be increased to 75 miles per hour. Those factors include current traffic volumes, truck traffic volumes and crash history. MoDOT also says the speed limit will NOT increase on I-70 while construction crews work on the $2.8 billion project to rebuild and six-lane I-70 between Wentzville and Blue Springs.
Director Hassinger is urging you to obey posted speed limits. State Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) has said that the Legislature should have waited two years to make the change, due to massive I-70 construction and highway construction across the state. He says there are more than 1,000 construction zones across Missouri.