Tennessee increases speed limit on portion of Interstate 81

Tennessee has increased the speed limit for all vehicles on Interstate 81 in Sullivan County.

Starting Monday, March 4, the posted speed limit is 70 mph between the Washington County line and the Virginia state line. The speed limit previously was 65 mph for cars and 55 mph for trucks.

The change is a result of recent spot-speed studies, crash analyses and an aim for continuity of speed zones, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said.

In February 2022, TDOT released its Interstate 40/81 multimodal corridor study. Nearly 3.7 million residents live in the 28 counties within this corridor. At its busiest point in Knoxville, Tenn., over 200,000 vehicles utilize these interstate highways daily.

“This study was conducted as a result of comments received from the general public as well as our partners in law enforcement and local municipalities,” TDOT said in a news release. “The speed limit change is being made in the interest of the motoring safety of the public.”

Signage will be replaced this week, weather permitting. State transportation officials remind motorists to use extreme caution during this process.

Beginning on Monday, March 4, the speed limit on I-81 between the Washington County line and the Virginia state will increase to 70 miles per hour for all vehicles. Currently that speed limit is set at 65 miles per hour for vehicles and 55 miles per hour for trucks. pic.twitter.com/E2iVO7ejUV

— Mark Nagi (@MarkNagiTDOT) February 29, 2024

More changes coming?

Land Line recently reported on several states considering a change to speed limit rules.

Among those were Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Oklahoma.

Similar to the recent change in Tennessee, New York and Indiana are looking to adopt a more uniform speed limit for all vehicles, while Maryland is looking to decrease speed limits on the state’s urban highways.

While it does not advocate for a specific speed limit, OOIDA maintains that roadways are safest when all vehicles are allowed to travel at the same rate of speed. LL

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