COLUMBUS — Less than two years after the last hike, lawmakers are again considering to raise the speed limit, this time to 75 mph on the Ohio Turnpike and rural highways.
That would give Ohio the highest maximum speed limit in the region for passenger vehicles with all of its neighbors at 70 mph or less.
“We’re learning that so many states are driving faster speeds than we are,” said Sen. Gayle Manning (R., North Ridgeville), chairman of the Senate Transportation, Commerce, and Labor Committee.
“What we’re hearing from businesses is that roads are safer and cars are safer,” she said. “We’re only doing it on three lanes in rural areas. We raised it two years ago, and accidents haven’t increased.”
She said it is likely that any road now deemed worthy of 70 mph would be upgraded to 75 mph, but it would ultimately be left to the Ohio Department of Transportation to decide.
The speed limit would apply to vehicles weighing less than 8,000 pounds when empty. Most large trucks would be ruled out, for which the speed limit would remain at 70 mph. That would essentially restore different speed limits for trucks and cars.
The amendment was one of numerous changes made on Monday by the committee to a proposed $7 billion, two-year transportation budget that passed the House earlier this month. The revised bill would also prohibit drivers on highways with at least three lanes of traffic from driving in the far left lane unless exiting or passing slower vehicles.
A committee and full Senate vote on the changes are expected as soon as Wednesday. The House and Gov. John Kasich would still have to sign off on the changes. A transportation budget must reach the governor’s desk before April 1.
Many rural interstates and interstatelike highways have been at 70 mph since the fall of 2013.
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission has not taken a position on the higher limit.
“Our engineers have pulled out old studies to see if there was ever a maximum speed limit [studied],” said Adam Greenslade, commission spokesman. “So far we haven’t found one. The [loss of] uniform speed limit is still a concern, but that’s not something that would ultimately sway our opinion.”
The argument was made several years ago that it would be safer to have all vehicles traveling at the same speed on the same highway. In addition to trucks weighing 8,000 or more pounds when empty, the 70 mph speed limit would apply to all buses.
Every state in the region has at least one portion of highway that is at 70 mph. West Virginia joins Ohio in having trucks and cars traveling at the same maximum speed.
The Ohio Conference of AAA Clubs remains opposed to raising the speed limit above 75 mph, said Ric Oxender, the organization’s lobbyist.
“We have a few states that have 75 mph out West in areas where there’s lots of nothing,” he said. “We are concerned that this would increase the impact of crashes. The faster you’re going, the more the impact. Obviously, it would increase stopping distances. The faster you are going, the longer it takes you to stop.”
AAA, however, continues to prefer slower speeds for trucks.
Contact Jim Provance at: jprovance@theblade.com or 614-221-0496.
First Published March 17, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
