New Bill In Michigan Legislature Pushes For Raising Speed Limit To 80 mph On Some Roads
Max White
12:57 PM, Nov 25, 2014
https://www.michigancriminallawyerspc.com/practice-areas/traffic-violations/
JUSTIN SULLIVAN
LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) – A new bill introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives would raise the speed limit to 80 mph on some Michigan roads.
House Bill 5964, introduced and sponsored by Rep. Brad Jacobson of Oakland County, intends to amend section 627 of Michigan Compiled Law 257.627 on speed limitations.
The bill calls to raise the speed limit to 80 mph on all rural limited access freeways– where a speed limit isn’t fixed. It will be called the “Rural Freeway General Speed Limit.”
By rural limited access freeway, Jacobson writes it means a freeway segment that has been designated by the State Transportation Department and the Department of State Police to be rural in nature.
It also raises the speed limit for trucks operating on limited access freeways. It says anyone operating a school bus, bus or truck weighing 10,000 pounds or more, including semi-trailers, cannot go faster than 70 mph. Right now, trucks can’t go faster than 60 mph.
Construction speed limits are another issue on the bill. Right now, the speed limit cannot exceed 45 mph on a highway in a construction zone. Jacobson’s bill says the speed limit on a highway during construction may be decreased by no more than 10 mph than it’s normal speed limit. The bill also says it cannot be slower than 30 mph in general.
Another portion of the bill deals with speed limits on dirt and gravel roads without a posted limit. He says the speed should be 55 mph if a speed is not posted, but should go down to 45 mph if the road is in a town with a population of more than 1 million people.
The bill was introduced and read for the first time on Nov. 13. It was also referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. It’s expected to be taken up by the House during their next session in December.
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