Right now, two pieces of legislation up in Indianapolis are gaining steam as they move through the legislative process, on the way to becoming new law for the State of Indiana.
In the State Senate, SB 2356 (introduced by Senators Oberweis and Sandoval) and in the House, HB 2573 (sponsored by Representatives Davidsmeyer and Wheeler) both work to do the same thing: up the speed that trucks, buses, and the rest of us can drive along rural highways with some exceptions. Those interstates in some counties would not get the new speed limit: Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake County, McHenry County, and Will County will remain under the present Indiana speed limits even if the new law is passed.
What would the new law do?
Under the proposed legislation, the speed limit will be 70 MPH on rural interstates (outside the exempted counties). There’s more. The proposal would drop the limit for excessive speeding violations to 26 MPH (right now it’s 30 MPH) over the legal limit.
Right now, HB 2573 is before the House Rules Committee and its counterpart, SB 2356, remains before the Senate Transportation Committee. You can track the bills online at Trakbill.com.
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides the maximum speed limit outside an urban district for any vehicle is (1) 70 miles per hour on any interstate highway; (2) 70 miles per hour for all or part of highways that are designated by the Department of Transportation, have at least 4 lanes of traffic, and have a separation between the roadways moving in opposite directions; and (3) 65 miles per hour for all other highways, roads, and streets. Provides that the counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will may adopt ordinances establishing speed limits lower than these speeds. Permits the Department of Transportation and Toll Highway Authority to alter speed limits up to the new maximum speed limit (rather than up to 65 miles per hour).
This bill “[a]mends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that outside the counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will, the maximum speed limit outside an urban district for any vehicle is (1) 70 miles per hour on any interstate highway; (2) 65 miles per hour for all or part of highways that are designated by the Department of Transportation, have at least 4 lanes of traffic, and have a separation between the roadways moving in opposite directions; and (3) 55 miles per hour for all other highways, roads, and streets. Permits the Department of Transportation and Toll Highway Authority to alter speed limits up to the new maximum speed limit (rather than up to 65 miles per hour).”
