Georgia rural freeway speed limits

[roadman65]

What is up with Georgia having a rural 65 mph speed limit on four lane highways not being freeway and not posting all of them to be that?

US 19 from the Florida Line to Thomasville is rural and four laned and is 55 mph!  Yet in Florida across the border it is 65 mph and all rural points north of Thomasville to Albany are also 65.

US 1 & 23 are 65 mph from Homeland to Waycross, but 55 from the Florida Line to Folkston!  The Waycross bypass is 65 while multiplexed with US 82, but after US 1 & 23 split to go north it drops down to 55 again as well as all other four lane points in the Peach State north to Augusta.

US 280 going east of Columbus is only 55 and rural due to the Fort Benning Reservation!  It is four laned as well.

[Bryant5493]

I live here in Georgia, and have driven many of the roads that you're talking about, and I have no clue why they're posted so low (speed trap revenue, for those small towns/counties along the way).

U.S. 19 from Leesburg to Thomaston (outside of those towns between) should be posted at 65, yet 55 prevails.


Be well,

Bryant

[roadman65]

I live here in Georgia, and have driven many of the roads that you're talking about, and I have no clue why they're posted so low (speed trap revenue, for those small towns/counties along the way).

U.S. 19 from Leesburg to Thomaston (outside of those towns between) should be posted at 65, yet 55 prevails.


Be well,

Bryant

I think you may be right there.  US 82 nearby from Albany to Dawson is also a flat straight away like US 19 where you mentioned and it is posted at 65 mph.  Even with a signalized at grade intersection about a third of the way to Dawson from Albany, the road is still higher.  So it must be!

[wriddle082]

In my most recent travels through the eastern portion of Georgia, I've only found the following 65 mph sections of 4-lane hihgway:

* US 1 from north of Wrens to south of Blythe
* US 84 from north of Jesup to south of Ludowici

I think I've come up with one possible theory for not having the 65 limit more widespread.  I'm sure many of the roads that are underposted have only been widened within the past 10 years or so, and perhaps GDOT simply didn't do a traffic study after widening construction concluded that easily would have justified raising the limit.  The two sections of roadway I mentioned above have bridge year stamps going back to the 90s (possibly even 80s), and that US 84 section has sort of a narrow median!

[SSF]

In my most recent travels through the eastern portion of Georgia, I've only found the following 65 mph sections of 4-lane hihgway:

* US 1 from north of Wrens to south of Blythe
* US 84 from north of Jesup to south of Ludowici

I think I've come up with one possible theory for not having the 65 limit more widespread.  I'm sure many of the roads that are underposted have only been widened within the past 10 years or so, and perhaps GDOT simply didn't do a traffic study after widening construction concluded that easily would have justified raising the limit.  The two sections of roadway I mentioned above have bridge year stamps going back to the 90s (possibly even 80s), and that US 84 section has sort of a narrow median!

GDOT is pretty good with keeping up with their traffic counts.  I certainly would not expect a full 10 years to have gone by without a stretch of four lane going unchecked for traffic.

They are kept intentionally low in my opinion in rural areas for revenue purposes.  Same with Alabama leaving up construction signs/reduced speed limits on the west side of Tuscaloosa for 15 months after I last saw construction on that stretch of 20/59

[Bryant5493]

They are kept intentionally low in my opinion in rural areas for revenue purposes.  Same with Alabama leaving up construction signs/reduced speed limits on the west side of Tuscaloosa for 15 months after I last saw construction on that stretch of 20/59

That I do agree. U.S. 41/S.R. 7 south of Griffin through southern Spalding County, Pike, and Lamar counties, should be posted at 65 m.p.h.

Also, I do agree about those construction speed limits and signs in that area; that was crazy.


Be well,

Bryant

[Jerseyman4]

Georgia counties are given the choice if they want the 65mph speed limit on 4 lane arterials and expressways in Georgia. When i traveled US 1 south of I-520 along its 4 lane section, it was 55mph in 2006. Then a return visit in 2010, it was upped to 65mph. Why? More than likely because the county allowed it after GDOT did a study.

[wriddle082]

BREAKING NEWS:

* US 25 south of Augusta/Richmond Co., from the Burke Co. line to just north of Waynesboro, has been increased to 65 MPH.  This is part of the Savannah River Pkwy.  Next week I anticipate driving south of Waynesboro to Millen for work, and I'll report whether or not its speed limit has been increased as well.  One can assume that the Burke Co. section has been increased since they increased it north of Waynesboro, but I have to see it to believe it.

* Not sure if this was already posted, but two weeks ago I drove GA 21 from Millen to Sylvania (another part of the Savannah River Pkwy.), and it's posted at 65 MPH.

Hopefully this is the beginning of a trend!

[roadman65]

The funny thing is that before the local highways were allowed to go to 65 in Georgia, I-95 near Savanah was kept at 55 and so was I-75 around Forsyth was also kept at 55 even when a section close to Downtown Macon was 65 in the 65 maximum days.

I think it may be revenue, as US 1 and US 19 near the Florida Line are still 55.  In Homeland, GA there is a one mile segment of US 1 that is 55 before it becomes 65, yet on the other end of that 65 stretch in Waycross it is 65 almost to the City Limit!