70 MPH Speed Limit Increase To 70 In Pennsylvania???

[rickmastfan67]

I-79 from I-90 in Erie County south to a point just north of the PA 228 interchange in Butler County (97 miles)

So, it seems that they aren't going to upgrade the 65mph segment between PA-910 and PA-228.

[MASTERNC]

I-79 from I-90 in Erie County south to a point just north of the PA 228 interchange in Butler County (97 miles)

So, it seems that they aren't going to upgrade the 65mph segment between PA-910 and PA-228.

My guess is all the traffic around Cranberry has something to do with that.

[Buffaboy]

Here's the press release.  Changes begin tomorrow.  They note over 1,000 miles of road will be 70 MPH, but a lot of interstates are missing.  Future I-99 is included but no US highways otherwise.

http://padriverdetours.blogspot.com/2016/05/pennsylvania-turnpike-and-penndot.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

PennDOT roadways that are being posted with the new limit over the next few days (including current pilot areas) are:

    I-79 from I-90 in Erie County south to a point just north of the PA 228 interchange in Butler County (97 miles)
    I-79 from I-70 in Washington County south to the West Virginia border (33 miles)
    I-80 from the Ohio State border east to a point near mile marker 190 in Clinton County (190 miles)
    I-80 from a point near mile marker 195 in Union County to a point near mile marker 247 in Columbia County (52 miles)
    US 15 from the interchange with PA 14 in Lycoming County north to the New York State border (49 miles)
    I-99 from Exit No. 68 in Centre County south to a point near mile marker 34 in Blair County (34 miles)
    I-99 from Exit No. 28 in Blair County south to mile marker 0 (PA Turnpike) in Bedford County (28 miles)
    I-380 from I-84 in Lackawanna County south to Exit No. 3 in Monroe County (21 miles)

Turnpike travelers will encounter a higher speed limit on virtually the entire toll highway. “After we convert the remaining segments of our system, we will have 493 miles posted at 70 mph,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “As a result, Turnpike motorists will see a 70 mph speed limit on almost 90 percent of our 552-mile system.”

Since the summer of 2014, the Turnpike speed limit has been 70 mph on a 97-mile stretch in south-central Pennsylvania between the Blue Mountain and Morgantown interchanges. All remaining sections of the PA Turnpike system that are now posted at 65 mph — including Turnpike extensions in southwestern PA — will be signed for 70 mph beginning May 3.

Areas of the PA Turnpike now posted at 55 mph will remain at 55 mph, including: work zones; the five tunnels; mainline toll plazas ( “barrier” plazas that stretch across travel lanes, such as Mid County and Delaware River Bridge in the southeast and Gateway and Warrendale in the west); the eastern slope of the Allegheny Mountain; and the seven-mile stretch east of the Bensalem Interchange in Bucks County (this section — now posted at 55 mph due to construction of the I-95/Turnpike link — will remain at 55 mph upon completion of the connections because of a lower design speed).

It's a big improvement, but there are a lot of underposted 55mph freeway stretches that will still be 55.

A big omission is I-90 and I'm not even talking about the underposted section in Erie. West of Erie (and probably east of Erie as well) could be 70. Heck, the section west of Erie jumps up to 70 at the Ohio line with no real change in design. I-90 could theoretically be 70 from MA 128 to Chicago excluding the sections through Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, and Albany.

My thoughts exactly when I read about this. From a layman's perspective, I think it's for speed "continuity" between I-90 in NY and PA, but I have no clue why they would omit it.

Also just to add, I-90 could be 60 in Buffalo as well, but that won't happen.

[vdeane]

Especially west of Erie... I-90 is 70 in Ohio.  And if continuity was a factor, US 15 wouldn't be 70 to the NY line.

[jemacedo9]

My guess for I-90 (and I-70, I-83, I-78 west of Allentown, I-81 north of Scranton) is all a combination of traffic counts and the older design specs, as those sections were built earlier than most)...unless (or and) those sections have a higher accident rate, which was quoted as one of the reasons why some sections kept the lower 65.  All those sections have narrower median widths and I believe lower overpasses.  I-90 in Ohio, I believe the median gets significantly wider.

[thenetwork]

My surprises were US 15 around Gettysburg (MD line to just south of PA 94 where the 65 zone becomes 55 as the freeway ends) and I-176 (from Exits 2-10), but the PennDOT release says that more increases could come in the future.

Any rumors if I-90 west of Erie is one of those?

The release has no mention of any zones outside of what was announced. The statement I was referring to was this directly from the release:

Areas that didn't qualify for the increase had crash histories; heavy, weaving traffic or characteristics that did not lend themselves to safe conversion to the higher limit. PennDOT will continue to review crash statistics for the newly posted areas and will consider information generated from ongoing studies before deciding on other areas that could see the higher limit.

What PennDOT needs to do is set a Variable Speed Limit for all of I-90 in PA and shell out some cash for VSL signs along the route.  Make it 70 MPH during the dry/warm weather months and lower it in the colder months when snow/fog/ice/blizzard conditions dictate the speed. 

The design of the freeway is not even close to how bad and ancient I-70 downstate is.  And traffic is not that bad.  It's a bunch of politicians who probably want to keep the speed low.  Most of the "accident" rates they use to defend the 55 zone probably include the multi-vehicle wrecks that happen during the winter months when traffic is already going less than 55 in near whiteout conditions.

[PHLBOS]

What PennDOT needs to do is set a Variable Speed Limit for all of I-90 in PA and shell out some cash for VSL signs along the route.

Maybe VSLs are the way to go for highways (non-PA Turnpike) within the Greater Philadelphia area.  Yes, there are times where I-95 and I-476 (Blue Route portion) are both parking lots; but there are also other times when both roads have freely-flowing traffic (and not just at 1 or 2 AM).  While a posted speed of 70 might be pushing it along those roads; 65 would be reasonable. 

One has to wonder had I-476 opened in, say 1972; would it have received a higher posted limit?

[MASTERNC]

What PennDOT needs to do is set a Variable Speed Limit for all of I-90 in PA and shell out some cash for VSL signs along the route.

Maybe VSLs are the way to go for highways (non-PA Turnpike) within the Greater Philadelphia area.  Yes, there are times where I-95 and I-476 (Blue Route portion) are both parking lots; but there are also other times when both roads have freely-flowing traffic (and not just at 1 or 2 AM).  While a posted speed of 70 might be pushing it along those roads; 65 would be reasonable. 

One has to wonder had I-476 opened in, say 1972; would it have received a higher posted limit?

It might be debated, but VSLs are also claimed to reduce congestion by setting lower speed limits at rush hour (the theory that acceleration back to 55 MPH before having to brake suddenly is a cause of a lot of slowdowns).

[ixnay]

My guess for I-90 (and I-70, I-83, I-78 west of Allentown, I-81 north of Scranton) is all a combination of traffic counts and the older design specs, as those sections were built earlier than most)...unless (or and) those sections have a higher accident rate, which was quoted as one of the reasons why some sections kept the lower 65.  All those sections have narrower median widths and I believe lower overpasses.  I-90 in Ohio, I believe the median gets significantly wider.

The bridge over I-78 at exit 16 in Bethel, PA was 13' 11" in August 2012 per GSV.  I stayed at the Comfort Inn at that exit a couple of nights in the summer of 2010 and had "fun" watching the semis barely clear the overpass.  I would not want have been atop a semi trailer, even laying down.  This would've been a perfect place for an overhead "If you hit that sign, you will hit that bridge" sign.

ixnay

[jeffandnicole]

My guess for I-90 (and I-70, I-83, I-78 west of Allentown, I-81 north of Scranton) is all a combination of traffic counts and the older design specs, as those sections were built earlier than most)...unless (or and) those sections have a higher accident rate, which was quoted as one of the reasons why some sections kept the lower 65.  All those sections have narrower median widths and I believe lower overpasses.  I-90 in Ohio, I believe the median gets significantly wider.

The bridge over I-78 at exit 16 in Bethel, PA was 13' 11" in August 2012 per GSV.  I stayed at the Comfort Inn at that exit a couple of nights in the summer of 2010 and had "fun" watching the semis barely clear the overpass.  I would not want have been atop a semi trailer, even laying down.  This would've been a perfect place for an overhead "If you hit that sign, you will hit that bridge" sign.

ixnay

Since the legal height is 13' 6" and every truck would be built not to exceed that height, there should be no reason why that bridge would get hit.

[roadman65]

My guess for I-90 (and I-70, I-83, I-78 west of Allentown, I-81 north of Scranton) is all a combination of traffic counts and the older design specs, as those sections were built earlier than most)...unless (or and) those sections have a higher accident rate, which was quoted as one of the reasons why some sections kept the lower 65.  All those sections have narrower median widths and I believe lower overpasses.  I-90 in Ohio, I believe the median gets significantly wider.

The bridge over I-78 at exit 16 in Bethel, PA was 13' 11" in August 2012 per GSV.  I stayed at the Comfort Inn at that exit a couple of nights in the summer of 2010 and had "fun" watching the semis barely clear the overpass.  I would not want have been atop a semi trailer, even laying down.  This would've been a perfect place for an overhead "If you hit that sign, you will hit that bridge" sign.

ixnay

Since the legal height is 13' 6" and every truck would be built not to exceed that height, there should be no reason why that bridge would get hit.

I was always wondering about that height.  I remember years ago when I lived in NJ, one of the big three news of either Chanel 2, 4, or 7 had a story about trucks and overpasses.  Are trucks getting too high or overpasses getting low, and I forgot what their determination was on the story, and what sparked it was the overpasses on Route 17 in Paramus getting hit even after the warning height labels were attached to the bridge.  The reporters used the scuff marks on those particular overpasses to make their point that semis were hitting some overpasses.

Of course the Holland Tunnel is out for those over 12' 6" as that is the headroom for that river crossing LOL.

[jeffandnicole]

My guess for I-90 (and I-70, I-83, I-78 west of Allentown, I-81 north of Scranton) is all a combination of traffic counts and the older design specs, as those sections were built earlier than most)...unless (or and) those sections have a higher accident rate, which was quoted as one of the reasons why some sections kept the lower 65.  All those sections have narrower median widths and I believe lower overpasses.  I-90 in Ohio, I believe the median gets significantly wider.

The bridge over I-78 at exit 16 in Bethel, PA was 13' 11" in August 2012 per GSV.  I stayed at the Comfort Inn at that exit a couple of nights in the summer of 2010 and had "fun" watching the semis barely clear the overpass.  I would not want have been atop a semi trailer, even laying down.  This would've been a perfect place for an overhead "If you hit that sign, you will hit that bridge" sign.

ixnay

Since the legal height is 13' 6" and every truck would be built not to exceed that height, there should be no reason why that bridge would get hit.

I was always wondering about that height.  I remember years ago when I lived in NJ, one of the big three news of either Chanel 2, 4, or 7 had a story about trucks and overpasses.  Are trucks getting too high or overpasses getting low, and I forgot what their determination was on the story, and what sparked it was the overpasses on Route 17 in Paramus getting hit even after the warning height labels were attached to the bridge.  The reporters used the scuff marks on those particular overpasses to make their point that semis were hitting some overpasses.

Of course the Holland Tunnel is out for those over 12' 6" as that is the headroom for that river crossing LOL.

The only trucks that would hit overpasses would be those that don't have a flat roof, such as trash dumpsters, car carriers, flatbeds with cranes and other large equipment, etc. Those have the possibility of being loaded above the maximum height.

In the 295/76/42 construction zone where the right shoulder is being used, there's a clearance marker of 13' 7" for 295 South traffic under 76/42.  That one is tight, but I've yet to hear about a truck hitting it.  There's no advanced warning either!

[ixnay]

My guess for I-90 (and I-70, I-83, I-78 west of Allentown, I-81 north of Scranton) is all a combination of traffic counts and the older design specs, as those sections were built earlier than most)...unless (or and) those sections have a higher accident rate, which was quoted as one of the reasons why some sections kept the lower 65.  All those sections have narrower median widths and I believe lower overpasses.  I-90 in Ohio, I believe the median gets significantly wider.

The bridge over I-78 at exit 16 in Bethel, PA was 13' 11" in August 2012 per GSV.  I stayed at the Comfort Inn at that exit a couple of nights in the summer of 2010 and had "fun" watching the semis barely clear the overpass.  I would not want have been atop a semi trailer, even laying down.  This would've been a perfect place for an overhead "If you hit that sign, you will hit that bridge" sign.

ixnay

Since the legal height is 13' 6" and every truck would be built not to exceed that height, there should be no reason why that bridge would get hit.

From the distance at which I watched those trucks go under at 65 or more, it looked suspenseful nevertheless.  Yet I felt strangely confident that they wouldn't hit.

ixnay

[Gnutella]

I-90 past Erie, I-70 from Breezewood to the Maryland state line, and I-99 from State College to I-80 should all be 70 MPH. I-79 from Washington to Cranberry should be 65 MPH. (For that matter, I-79 should be six-laned all the way from I-70 to I-376.)

[MASTERNC]

An odd side effect of the Turnpike raising its speed limit is it is putting in the yellow "speed reduction" warning signs prior to the speed limit dropping to 55 near tunnels or toll plazas, but won't do the same for long-term construction projects.  They have been signing 55 MPH about 1/2 mile before the work zone with no advance warning, resulting in an abrupt change (and, yes, I have seen cops running radar just before construction zones in the original test zone, right after the first 55 MPH sign).

I have e-mailed my State Rep (who contacted the Turnpike) and tweeted the Turnpike, with both inquiries receiving a response along the line of "we don't have to warn motorists of speed reductions for construction".  Funny because some PennDOT districts do, so this isn't a state DOT policy.  Kind of funny when they're imploring motorists to slow down in work zones but don't give much warning of a change.

[jeffandnicole]

An odd side effect of the Turnpike raising its speed limit is it is putting in the yellow "speed reduction" warning signs prior to the speed limit dropping to 55 near tunnels or toll plazas, but won't do the same for long-term construction projects.  They have been signing 55 MPH about 1/2 mile before the work zone with no advance warning, resulting in an abrupt change (and, yes, I have seen cops running radar just before construction zones in the original test zone, right after the first 55 MPH sign).

They could just be sitting there.  They may even have their radar guns on.  But it doesn't mean they're going after speeders.  What better way to slow people down than to sit at the 55 mph sign to scare people to slow down.

Many radar guns are now 'instant on', so that radar detectors don't pick them up.  Leave the radar gun in an 'on' position, and those with radar detectors will probably slow down in advance, which could be happening as well.

[cl94]

An odd side effect of the Turnpike raising its speed limit is it is putting in the yellow "speed reduction" warning signs prior to the speed limit dropping to 55 near tunnels or toll plazas, but won't do the same for long-term construction projects.  They have been signing 55 MPH about 1/2 mile before the work zone with no advance warning, resulting in an abrupt change (and, yes, I have seen cops running radar just before construction zones in the original test zone, right after the first 55 MPH sign).

They could just be sitting there.  They may even have their radar guns on.  But it doesn't mean they're going after speeders.  What better way to slow people down than to sit at the 55 mph sign to scare people to slow down.

Many radar guns are now 'instant on', so that radar detectors don't pick them up.  Leave the radar gun in an 'on' position, and those with radar detectors will probably slow down in advance, which could be happening as well.

Nowadays, thanks to Waze, people don't even need a radar detector and a cop doesn't even have to be using a radar gun for people to get a warning. One person reports the cop and a warning is broadcast to all users passing through for an hour or two.

[Bitmapped]

An odd side effect of the Turnpike raising its speed limit is it is putting in the yellow "speed reduction" warning signs prior to the speed limit dropping to 55 near tunnels or toll plazas, but won't do the same for long-term construction projects.  They have been signing 55 MPH about 1/2 mile before the work zone with no advance warning, resulting in an abrupt change (and, yes, I have seen cops running radar just before construction zones in the original test zone, right after the first 55 MPH sign).

I have e-mailed my State Rep (who contacted the Turnpike) and tweeted the Turnpike, with both inquiries receiving a response along the line of "we don't have to warn motorists of speed reductions for construction".  Funny because some PennDOT districts do, so this isn't a state DOT policy.  Kind of funny when they're imploring motorists to slow down in work zones but don't give much warning of a change.

For drops from 65 to 55, PennDOT's style has been just to put up Speed Limit 55 signs without any "reduced speed ahead" warnings. I've seen where they've put up two pairs of Speed Limit 55 signs or added orange "flags" to the signs but I've never seen a "Reduced Speed 55 Ahead"-style sign that I can recall.

[MASTERNC]

They could just be sitting there.  They may even have their radar guns on.  But it doesn't mean they're going after speeders.  What better way to slow people down than to sit at the 55 mph sign to scare people to slow down.

Many radar guns are now 'instant on', so that radar detectors don't pick them up.  Leave the radar gun in an 'on' position, and those with radar detectors will probably slow down in advance, which could be happening as well.

If I remember right, the cop in that case did pull out and pull someone over after the construction zone, so he was likely checking speeds.

For drops from 65 to 55, PennDOT's style has been just to put up Speed Limit 55 signs without any "reduced speed ahead" warnings. I've seen where they've put up two pairs of Speed Limit 55 signs or added orange "flags" to the signs but I've never seen a "Reduced Speed 55 Ahead"-style sign that I can recall.

There's actually something in the Vehicle Code that mandates speed reduction signs if the change is more than 10 MPH, but it does not apply to speed limits above 50 MPH (strangely).

http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/067/chapter212/s212.108.html

[Alps]

I can say that Texas will only drop 15 MPH at a time, and typically goes in increments of 10. I've seen them drop from 75 to 70, and then I know the next drop is to 55.

[Bitmapped]

I drove I-99/US 220 between I-68 and State College yesterday. PennDOT has added W3-5 signs at the drops from 70mph to 55mph. The existing speed limit signs were replaced with entirely new Speed Limit 70 signs, not patched with 70 overlays like OH, WV, and MD did.

PennDOT kept a ~1.5-mile 65mph zone just north of the US 22 interchange. There's no warning of the drop from 70 to 65 or 65 to 55. Aside from that, all of the 65 zones are now 70. The 55 zones stayed the same.

[mariethefoxy]

I saw 70MPH on the PA Turnpike, parts of I-99 and parts of I-80 while driving home from Pittsburgh. The turnpike drops to 65 in the pittsburgh area if I remember right. 81 and 78 did not have 70mph zones that I saw (went 78 to 81 to 76 heading to pitt and 76 to 99 to 80 heading home)

[cl94]

 From driving the Turnpike, I-99, and I-80 last week and US 15 earlier, I concur that almost all 65 zones are now 70. Quite shocking is how much of the Turnpike is 70. In most of PA, 70 is a reasonable speed limit and anything above 75 is often unsafe due to geometry. Kudos to PennDOT and PTC for making the speed limit close to what people actually drive.

[74/171FAN]

I saw 70MPH on the PA Turnpike, parts of I-99 and parts of I-80 while driving home from Pittsburgh. The turnpike drops to 65 in the pittsburgh area if I remember right. 81 and 78 did not have 70mph zones that I saw (went 78 to 81 to 76 heading to pitt and 76 to 99 to 80 heading home)

That is correct.  None of I-81 or I-78 got any 70 zones for now.

[TheOneKEA]

I saw 70MPH on the PA Turnpike, parts of I-99 and parts of I-80 while driving home from Pittsburgh. The turnpike drops to 65 in the pittsburgh area if I remember right. 81 and 78 did not have 70mph zones that I saw (went 78 to 81 to 76 heading to pitt and 76 to 99 to 80 heading home)

That is correct.  None of I-81 or I-78 got any 70 zones for now.

I would be interested to know if PA increases I-81 to 70mph between Chambersburg and the Mason-Dixon anytime soon. The segment of I-81 through MD has a 60mph section and there are long term plans to widen it throughout, and if PA does change the speed limit I-81 will change from 70 to 65 to 60 and back again south of I-70 and the Potomac River; I strongly doubt that MD will change any speed limit on I-81 prior to their long term widening project.