VDOT studies highway speed limit increases

View larger image Interstate 81 traffic moves south near Mt. Jackson recently. In July, stretches of the highway could have the speed limit increased from 65 to 70 mph. Rich Cooley/Daily

Research will determine which sections change from 65 mph to 70 mph starting this summer

By Preston Knight - pknight@nvdaily.com

Studies are underway to determine what sections of Virginia's highways could have an increased speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph beginning this summer.

The Virginia Department of Transportation will decide the best fits for the 5 mph speed increase, which the General Assembly approved for rural areas earlier this year. Agency spokeswoman Marshall Barnhill said last week that transportation staff has started analyzing crash and speed data and conducting field reviews. Costs of making necessary upgrades also will need to be figured.

What segments of highway, including interstates 81 and 66, will see a change when the new regulations go into effect July 1 are still unknown. Barnhill said that eligible sections will have to pass certain criteria, including that they carry below a set traffic volume per lane and being below a set threshold of crashes and fatalities.

While the maximum speed on interstates in Virginia has been 65 mph for about two decades, the segment of Interstate 85 south of Petersburg to the North Carolina state line was raised to 70 in 2007, following the approval of the General Assembly and then-Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.

The recently enacted speed limit increase has had its share of opponents, including the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors, which unanimously approved a resolution in February against the proposal. It cited safety and fuel-efficiency concerns, the cost of changing highway signs and the strain on police and rescue services.

But both Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, and Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, favor the increase. After supervisors passed the resolution, Obenshain said, "I have been persuaded that our interstates are designed for safe travel at that speed, and I'm not concerned that there's going to be a significant increase in safety hazard."

In an e-mail last week, Gilbert noted that he has reviewed "natural" highway speed limits throughout the nation, which is a measure of how fast, on average, people drive in a given state. He said that what he has found further validates his reasoning to support 70 mph highways in parts of Virginia.

According to a recent report from TomTom Inc., which uses Global Positioning Systems, Virginia ranks in the middle of the pack nationwide as far as how fast its drivers drive. The "middle" includes 25 states, with the average being between 64-68.4 mph. TomTom's findings came from customers who agreed to anonymously have their highway driving habits monitored.

"Most states with 70 mph limit have average natural speeds that do not exceed it or do not by much," Gilbert said in the e-mail.

But as far as where in Virginia that maximum will occur, "the ball" is in VDOT's court now, he said.

Barnhill said drivers must remember to travel at the posted speed limit, even if an area is eligible to move up to 70 mph.

"Until the sign actually changes what the actual speed limit is, that's what they need to drive," she said.