While the Missouri Legislature has approved permitting MoDOT to increase rural highway speed limits to 75 mph, MoDOT says no changes will take effect until an evaluation of eligible locations is complete.
MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger says, “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.” He says the mission at MoDOT is to provide a safe and reliable transportation system, and the evaluation helps them make sure any changes to the speed limit don’t come at the expense of a safe trip.
Several factors are part of the evaluation, including:
- Current traffic volumes
- Truck traffic volumes
- Crash history
- Terrain
- Road design, including the presence of safety countermeasures
- Existing speed limits of border states near the state lines
Hassinger says concluded that they are hoping to complete the review of eligible locations by the end of the year.