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Committee considers raising interstate speed limit to 80 mph with phased approach
Summary
Representative Ben Koppelman told the committee House Bill 12‑98 would raise interstate speed limits from 75 to 80 mph in phases, allowing DOT to keep lower limits through cities and trickier segments. DOT engineers said changes would mainly be sign updates; senators raised concerns about enforcement, inclement weather and truck interactions.
The Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony on House Bill 12‑98, introduced by Representative Ben Koppelman, which would raise maximum posted interstate speeds from 75 to 80 miles per hour on segments the Department of Transportation determines are safe for the higher limit.
Koppelman said the increase would be phased: DOT would first raise speeds on clearly suitable segments and work on engineering improvements in other locations before increasing limits there. The bill preserves DOT’s ability to set lower posted speeds through cities and at specific hazard points, he said, and cites guidance such as the Federal Highway Administration and the Institute of Transportation Engineers in support of using prevailing speeds and the 85th‑percentile rule to set limits.
Deputy DOT engineering director Matt Lineman said the department’s plan would not involve wholesale reconstruction but primarily changing signage where road geometry supports 80 mph. Lineman explained the department’s conceptual map, noting red segments that would likely keep lower thresholds (Valley City, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Dickinson and the scenic I‑94 Medora area) and said DOT would post lower speeds in urban segments even if the statewide maximum rose.
Senators pressed about enforcement, inclement weather and heavy vehicles. Senator Hogan and others said constituents report unsafe speeding and worried the change could increase risk and citations. Koppelman said prevailing speeds already are often about five mph over posted limits, and that raising the limit is intended to align law with driver behavior and reduce variation in traffic flow. Lineman said DOT lacks clear statutory authority for dynamic or variable electronic speed signage; the bill would change static posted limits, and DOT expects to update existing signs as part of normal replacement cycles.
No committee vote was taken at the hearing; the bill’s sponsor requested a do‑pass recommendation.
Ending: Committee members debated tradeoffs between aligning posted speeds with prevailing driver behavior and the potential enforcement and safety implications; DOT said many changes would be limited to signage and local speed reductions where warranted.
