MDOT, MSP announce speed limit increases

UPDATE — Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 12:50 p.m. EDT

Driving through Michigan is about to get a little faster. Speed limit changes on more than fifteen hundred miles of roads across the state have been approved by the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Nine hundred miles of non-freeway roads will see a speed increase from 55 to 65mph. And 600-miles of freeways will soon have a maximum speed of 75mph.

MDOT Communications Representative Dan Weingarten says there’s a lot of work that needs to be done before the speed limit increases go into effect.

“Beyond putting up the new signs for the new speed limits, changing passing zones signs where appropriate, changing paving markings to match that; it’s going to take a while longer to get the speeds posted on all of the 900 miles of non-freeway roadways, so we’re looking into the fall for that work,” said Weingarten. “Everything should be completed in November sometime.”

The changes come on the heels of a joint study by MDOT and the MSP that identified the safest roads to increase speeds. In January, Governor Rick Snyder signed off on a series of bills that ordered the engineering and safety study.

And until the new speed limit signs are installed, drivers must abide by the posted speeds.

LANSING, MICH. — The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced speed increases for 1,552 miles of freeways and non-freeways.

The Upper Peninsula will see speed increases from 55mph to 65mph on portions US-2, US-45, M-28, M-64, M-77, M-115 and M-123. Approximately 900 miles roadways in the Upper and Lower Peninsula will see a speed increase from 65mph to 75mph.

Selected freeways will have increased speeds posted as of May 1st. The rest of the increases will be posted by November.

To view a map of the increases, click HERE.

We will have much more on this story tonight at 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. on ABC 10.