Speed limit now 10 mph higher on Kentucky highway

The speed limit on a Kentucky highway is now 10 mph higher.

As part of his Better Kentucky Plan, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced an increase in the speed limit on two highway sections in parts of Trigg and Graves counties. Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray signed the order directing the higher limit on 6.5 miles of U.S. Route 68/state Route 80 from the west edge of Cadiz to the Lake Barkley Bridge at Canton and along 2.5 miles of the state Route 80 Mayfield South Bypass.

The highway sections, both of which are four-lane, now bear speed limit signs for 65 mph, up from the previous 55 mph.

“The U.S. 68/Kentucky 80 corridor is a well-designed, well-constructed highway that can safely accommodate the higher speed limit,” Gov. Beshear said in a statement. “This corridor already is a tremendous asset as a four-lane connector between Interstate 24 at Cadiz and Interstate 69 at Mayfield. By updating the out-of-date speed limit, we are reducing congestion and helping Kentuckians get to their destination quicker and safer, while also increasing economic development by enhancing the flow of commerce in this area.”

The speed limit will remain at 55 mph along nine miles of the corridor through Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area and near the I-24 Exit 65 interchange east of Cadiz, at the U.S. 641/state Route 80 intersection north of Murray and near the state Route 121 bypass at Mayfield, where the intersections have traffic signals.

The speed limit along U.S. 68/state route 80 from Cadiz through Christian, Todd and Logan counties to the edge of Bowling Green increased to 65 mph in October 2012, enhancing the corridor across southern Kentucky. A section of state Route 80 in Calloway and Graves counties increased in October 2015. The speed limit also has been increased on four-lane sections of U.S. 641 and U.S. 45.

To confirm the roadway could safely accommodate the higher speed limit, Transportation Cabinet engineers analyzed data from similar road segments where the speed limit increased earlier.

“This speed limit change means goods and materials can move into and out of the area more efficiently,” Graves County Judge-Executive Jesse Perry said in a statement. “Raising the speed limit turns the U.S. 68/Kentucky 80 corridor into an even greater asset in the competitive arena of economic development and job expansion.”

Speed limiters could muddy the waters

Although higher speed limits may be welcome news to most motorists, a proposed speed limiter mandate could cause some problems.

Last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an advance notice of supplemental proposed rulemaking that considers requiring commercial motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more to be equipped with speed limiters.

No decision has been made regarding the top speed of the proposed speed limiters, but previous proposals entertained the idea of 60, 65 or 68 mph. In September, FMCSA suggested that it would propose 68 mph as the top speed. However, the agency immediately did an about-face, stating it still had not made a decision and putting the top-speed question back on the table.

With passenger vehicles oftentimes driving faster than the posted speed limit, a speed limiter mandate could cause dangerous interactions with speed-limited trucks on highways such as the above-mentioned ones in Kentucky with posted limits of 65 mph or higher.

The proposed legislation would prevent such a mandate. Known as the DRIVE Act or HR3039, this bill aims to keep FMCSA from requiring speed limiters on heavy-duty trucks. It had 30 co-sponsors as of Monday, Oct. 23.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which represents small-business truckers, supports the DRIVE Act and is asking its more than 150,000 members to encourage their lawmakers to become co-sponsors. OOIDA contends that speed limiters create dangerous speed differentials and that speed limits should be left up to each state.

“The physics are straightforward – limiting trucks to speeds below the flow of traffic increases interactions between vehicles and leads to more crashes,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said when the DRIVE Act was introduced earlier this year. LL

Land Line Senior Editor Mark Schremmer contributed to this report.