Traffic lights on roads with high speed limits

[1995hoo]

Traffic lights (they're not "stoplights" if they're green!) are quite common on 55-mph roads in Virginia, including many two-lane roads, to the point where it's not worth listing any of them. There are a number of Virginia roads with 60-mph speed limits that have traffic lights as well, but nothing higher–they don't post 65- or 70-mph speed limits on anything with a traffic light.

Plenty of other states have 65-mph limits and traffic lights. I am blanking on whether there were any lights in the 70-mph zone on US-550 in New Mexico between Bernalillo and Farmington and it would take far too long to click through on Street View to find out. I can't say I recall any.

[Brandon]

Signalized intersections exist on the following 55 mph roads I can think of:

US-30 from 143rd Street to Wolf's Crossing Road in Plainfield and Oswego, Illinois.  Speed limit is typically 55, but never drops below 50.
IL-47 from Wrigley Way (Yorkville) to Cross Street (Sugar Grove).  Speed limit is typically 55, but drops only to 50 for US-30 and Jericho Road.
IL-53 from Laraway Road (Joliet) to Wilmington-Peotone Road (Wilmington).

[webny99]

Traffic lights (they're not "stoplights" if they're green!) are quite common on 55-mph roads in Virginia, including many two-lane roads, to the point where it's not worth listing any of them.

For that reason, I have updated the OP
Also keep in mind that there needs to be at least three consecutively, and the 55 mph must apply through the intersections. Whether that eliminates enough to make the rest worth listing in your case, I have no idea.

[kphoger]

What is the highest posted speed limit in the US on a road with traffic lights?

80 mph ^[1][2]

[kphoger]

three consecutively

What do you mean by consecutively?  Do you mean there can't be a minor side street in between without a signal?

[vdeane]

This doesn't strike me as all that uncommon.  NY 332 also does it, as does US 11 south of Fort Drum.  Also NY 365.  And NY 37 near Ogdensburg, NY 23 between Cairo and Catskill, etc.  Former examples include Washington Ave Extension, NY 787 (assuming the thing I read saying the speed limit used to be 55 is right), and NY 590.  Possibly NY 17 in Horseheads as well, but I don't recall if the speed limit was reduced there or not.

[jeffandnicole]

three consecutively

What do you mean by consecutively?  Do you mean there can't be a minor side street in between without a signal?

I'm just going with at least 3 traffic lights within the 55 mph zone, with no lower speed limit zones between any of those 3 lights. 

[pdx-wanderer]

Eagle Road/ID-55 in Meridian has a 55 mph limit and at least seven lights just between I-84 and US-20.

[Brandon]

What is the highest posted speed limit in the US on a road with traffic lights?

80 mph ^[1][2]

hahahahaha.  Smart ass. 

[GenExpwy]

Possibly NY 17 in Horseheads as well, but I don't recall if the speed limit was reduced there or not.

I'm 98% sure that it was 40 mph, and 2% that it was 45.

[1995hoo]

Traffic lights (they're not "stoplights" if they're green!) are quite common on 55-mph roads in Virginia, including many two-lane roads, to the point where it's not worth listing any of them.

For that reason, I have updated the OP
Also keep in mind that there needs to be at least three consecutively, and the 55 mph must apply through the intersections. Whether that eliminates enough to make the rest worth listing in your case, I have no idea.

No, certainly not as to 55-mph roads.

[froggie]

Regarding the bolded statement, I'm not at all convinced. We haven't had any street view links thus far, however, I am updating my OP to link to a segment of NY 104.

You need to get out of the Northeast more.  Sure, you have very few in New York state (or New England in general), but that doesn't mean other parts of the country don't have it fairly commonly.  As others have noted, there are numerous roads that meet even your "revised" criteria in the Mid-Atlantic, South, and Midwest.

My contribution:  MN 55 west of Minneapolis, which is 55 MPH from just west of MN 100 to just east of Hennepin CR 92 in Rockford, and has 24 signals along that stretch.

Even county routes fit the bill.  There's a stretch of Scott CR 21 in suburban Minneapolis that is 55 MPH with 4 signals in a row.

[bzakharin]

It's not just US routes in NJ. State routes do this too. NJ 73 has a long 55 section from the Atlantic City Expressway to approaching NJ 70 with plenty of traffic lights (the rest of it is 50 MPH with even more frequent lights). I'm sure there are other four-lane state routes that are 55 MPH I just don't personally frequent. NJ 10 maybe?

[TBKS1]

I have a few I can think of off the top of my head.

Junction of US-65 and MO-86 & MO-265. (65 MPH)
US-64 between Conway and Vilonia has a few stoplights. (60 MPH)
Junction of AR-5 and AR-89 & AR-319 are all stoplights. (55 MPH)

[doorknob60]

Eagle Road/ID-55 in Meridian has a 55 mph limit and at least seven lights just between I-84 and US-20.

I was going to post that one as it's probably the biggest example around here. Small correction, between I-84 (or Overland Rd to be more exact) and Fairview Ave, the speed limit is 50. But from Fairview all the way to just south of ID-44 (around the Boise River bridge, a couple miles past US-20/26) it is 55 MPH so it totally qualifies. I count 9 traffic lights here (including Fairview), and no freeway or speed limit changes in between.

Though it doesn't quite qualify by the OP criteria, the highest speed limit road with a stop light in Idaho I can think of is ID-16 between US-20/26 and ID-44. Yes, it is a freeway between there, and it is only 2 lights not 3, but the speed limit does not drop approaching the lights so close enough to mention it.

Since pictures are fun, I'll throw some street view in.

ID-55. Notice that this is not some rural highway with the occasional stoplight, nor is it a grade separated expressway, it's a full blown suburban arterial:


Best I can get for ID-16 (GSV didn't actually drive on the road for some reason, even though it was open when they drove past in this picture):

[kphoger]

One of the two primary principal highways through Wichita–US-54/400–has the following stoplights as you head west out of town:
111th Street
119th Street
135th Street
151st Street
167th Street
183rd Street

4½ miles, 60 mph speed limit the whole way.

[Hurricane Rex]

In the PNW, the highest I've seen is US 2 between US 97 and Wenatchee: 5 signals. Speed Limit 60.

[pdx-wanderer]

Another one would be NV-160 in southern Las Vegas.
55 mph speed limit through 5.5 miles and eight or nine lights, depending on the direction:

Durango Dr
Cimmarron Rd
Buffalo Dr
Rainbow Blvd
Jones Blvd
Decatur Blvd
Arville St
Valley View Blvd

Going east towards I-15, Dean Martin Drive is a ninth, as the speed is not reduced to 45 until after the intersection, while going west there doesn't appear to be a 55 mph sign posted until just before Valley View.

The closest example I can think of here in Oregon is two lights on a 55 mph section of Kuebler Blvd outside of Salem, at intersections of Turner Rd and Lancaster Dr. 

[webny99]

What is the highest posted speed limit in the US on a road with traffic lights?

80 mph ^[1][2]

Same route number but not the same road. Decent try, though.

three consecutively

What do you mean by consecutively?  Do you mean there can't be a minor side street in between without a signal?

I mean two things 1] no freeway segments in between and 2] no lower speed limits in between, or through, the intersections.
I considered adding a distance criteria, such as no more than 1 mile between each signal, but decided that might get too complicated.

This doesn't strike me as all that uncommon.  NY 332 also does it...

Don't know how I forgot that one  There is definitely at least three lights, though I think (?) the speed limit drops for some of the busier ones, including NY 96.

[Perfxion]

Texas, FM roads. Get just outside the big cities and the mph tops around 75

[vdeane]

Don't know how I forgot that one  There is definitely at least three lights, though I think (?) the speed limit drops for some of the busier ones, including NY 96.

When I was last on it (Labor Day 2017), it was 55 from the Thruway to CR 8 (including near NY 96, though the median does disappear there), 40 to the Canandaigua city line, and 30 south of there.

[webny99]

^ I'll pay extra close attention next time I'm on it (usually 5-6 times a year in summer and fall). I'm sure you're right, I just had in my mind that it was 45 around NY 96 for some reason or other. 

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Regarding the bolded statement, I'm not at all convinced. We haven't had any street view links thus far, however, I am updating my OP to link to a segment of NY 104.

You need to get out of the Northeast more.  Sure, you have very few in New York state (or New England in general), but that doesn't mean other parts of the country don't have it fairly commonly.  As others have noted, there are numerous roads that meet even your "revised" criteria in the Mid-Atlantic, South, and Midwest.

My contribution:  MN 55 west of Minneapolis, which is 55 MPH from just west of MN 100 to just east of Hennepin CR 92 in Rockford, and has 24 signals along that stretch.

Even county routes fit the bill.  There's a stretch of Scott CR 21 in suburban Minneapolis that is 55 MPH with 4 signals in a row.

I'll add in US 10/169 through Ramsey and Anoka, 60 MPH and four signals (for now until the DOT finally converts more of them into interchanges).

[Revive 755]

A small part of Peace Road around Sycamore, IL qualifies with signals at IL 64, a Jewell-Osco entrance and IL 23 in a continuous 55 mph stretch.

[jemacedo9]

and NY 590.

NY 590 no longer has traffic lights...and was truncated to end at Titus Ave roundabout.
Before that construction, I do believe it had a 55 MPH limit though.