55 MPH vs 60 MPH

[at40man]

What is the point of a 55 MPH speed limit on a divided highway or interstate as opposed to a 60 MPH speed limit? There is a lot of inconsistency on our roadways that otherwise appear to be built to the same design standards. Why not just ditch the double-nickel already?

[holmstar]

In my opinion, the posted speed limit should match the design speed of the highway. If civil engineers consider that speed to be safe, then why shouldn't the law? Also, people tend to have a feel for the design speed. It feels safe to go fast on a straight level road with wide lanes/shoulders, so people often ignore (to an extant) speed limits that are set artificially low.

Mind you, there are other factors to take into account, such as congestion, variation in speed between vehicles, noise and vibration impacts, wildlife crossing, etc. While the road can support higher speeds, common traffic conditions may make it unsafe.

[HiawathaGuy]

A bill passed the Legislature this year that requires MNDOT to look at over 6,000 miles of highway in the state and look to up the speed limit to 60mph where/when appropriate. The news report on the passage said it would take them up to three years to assess all the roadways in the state. But there are many factors that go into increasing speed.