Drivers could go faster — up to 70 mph — on rural stretches of highways like Interstates 71, 77 and 90 under a proposed change in state law. An increase in the 65 mph speed limit is among a flurry of changes an Ohio Senate committee made Monday to the state’s next two-year budget for transportation. The full Senate is expected to vote on the bill this week.
State legislators have talked of pumping up the speed on Ohio interstates for years.
Right now, the Ohio Turnpike is the only interstate with a 70 mph speed limit, which was set in 2011.
Raising the limit will put Ohio in line with neighboring states, said State Sen. Tom Patton, a Republican from Strongsville and member of the Senate Transportation Committee. Fatalities on the turnpike have decreased since the change, he said.
Public-safety officials, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association, did not speak out against the change, Patton said.
Highway Patrol spokeswoman Lt. Ann Ralston noted that the change to 70 mph applies only to rural areas, not the more congested stretches of interstate through large cities.
The speed change would be accompanied by a detailed, two-year study of crashes to gauge the impact of increased speed, Ralston said.
AAA Ohio Motorists Association is not taking a formal position but does have concerns, said spokesman Brian Newbacher.
“We just hope they are careful in monitoring crashes before and after (the speed limit change), if they do pass this,” Newbacher said.
Higher speeds will be a boon for truck deliveries and commerce, according to Patton.
A list kept by The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that about two-thirds of states have speed limits of 70 mph or higher on rural interstates.
The change in law would also allow speeds to increase to 65 mph from 60 mph in “outerbelt” stretches of interstate through cities of fewer than 50,000 people.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online News
