Why only 55 on I95 in Pennsylvania

[ethanman62187]

Why is the speed limit only 55 on this freeway (I95)?

[SP Cook]

For the money.  Same as ever other underposted speedlimit in the world.

[Alps]

Ask PennDOT.

[ethanman62187]

Will the speed limit raise or not?

[corco]

Ask PennDOT.

[jemacedo9]

It is PA practice for all expressways in urban areas to be 55 instead of 65.  I don't know why...my guess is, in theory, because of the amount of traffic.  I-76 in Philly is actually 50 MPH. 

[SteveG1988]

its due to weaving issues, 95 in philly has some left exits, many many merges and interchanges. plus the high traffic count. Also road geometry may not allow for higher since in philly it is a elevated road

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

It is PA practice for all expressways in urban areas to be 55 instead of 65.  I don't know why...my guess is, in theory, because of the amount of traffic.  I-76 in Philly is actually 50 MPH. 

If there ever was a place that actually needs a speed limit that low, if not lower, it's the Sure-Kill i.e. I-76.

[1995hoo]

Will the speed limit raise or not?

Speed limits do not raise themselves.

[SteveG1988]

Speed limits need a union to get a raise, and in the end they only make slightly more due to taxes

[PAHighways]

While the signs say one thing, the reality of driving 95 is another.

[SteveG1988]

Some days on 95 you can do 55-65 other days you are lucky to do 5mph

[PAHighways]

The same can be said of any road anywhere, such as I-376 through downtown Pittsburgh which is signed 40 and can get as low as 0.

[qguy]

I live very near I-95 in northeast Philadelphia. During the morning and evening rushes, the road is bumper-to-bumper. During off-peak times, however, I often drive 85 or so, with the rest of the pack in the left lanes.

I'd officially deny that of course.

[SteveG1988]

In the Philly region most philly interstates can be left as is, 95 can be 65 except between the airport and the betsy ross bridge (NJ90) due to the ammount of exits and the merging of several roads. On the NJ side, I-295 could probably be 70 or even 75 between exit 26 (I76) and trenton where it meets 195. South of exit 26, 295 should remain as is due to the US130 merge bringing it onto a older style freeway with a metal guide rail dividing lanes. I276 in philly should remain 65, in my opinion that is pushing it due to the way the PA turnpike was built and the traffic it carries. NJ turnpike, 70 or 75, perhaps have it at 75 and I295 at 70 so they can draw more traffic to the toll road. On 295/NJTP you will have traffic flowing at 75 most of the time, even going into trenton. 95 north of philly has the same thing

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

The same can be said of any road anywhere, such as I-376 through downtown Pittsburgh which is signed 40 and can get as low as 0.

Been there, done that, got the tee shirt back in August.

[surferdude]

I am not familiar with that side of the state, but I know when you get into a urban area that has greater that 50,000 in population it is 55 miles per hour, this happens on interstate 90 near Erie, PA. 

[D-Dey65]

Some days on 95 you can do 55-65 other days you are lucky to do 5mph

Luckily I've never been in a position where I ended up driving that slow, unlike in the New York, Baltimore, and DC areas.

[PHLBOS]

Why is the speed limit only 55 on this freeway (I95)?

Answer: Because nobody petitioned the Governor (Ridge/Sweicker(sp.)/Rendell/Corbett) on the matter.

Some history is in order: Until 1995, PA's maximum Speed Limit was 55; then-Gov. Bob Casey was dead-set against raising it.  When Ridge was sworn in, the momentum to raise the maximum speed limit on 'rural' Interstates to 65 picked up.  A bill was drawn up, passed and signed into law later that year.

Mainwhile, over in Washington, D.C.; the then-newly elected GOP-control House and Senate tacked on an initiative to a highway bill that abolished the National Speed Limit.  It passed both the House & Senate and was signed into law by then-President Clinton.

I'm not sure of the exact timeline but the PA law was signed first; the Federal law (to let states determine their own speed limits and where) passed almost a month later.

As a result, most of the 65 mph roads in PA were initially 'rural' Interstates.  Guess on my part, but initiatives to increase speed limits to 65 on other roads (like US 222 from Lancaster to near Reading) were probably done on an individual basis since then.

In retrospect, had Ridge waited for the Federal bill to pass first (in his defense, he probably didn't know that such inititive was taking place over in Washington); maybe we would've seen more 65 mph on stretches of I-95, US 1, 30, 202, 422 or even the Blue Route section of I-476.

[PAHighways]

Casey was against raising the speed limit because he felt that a higher limit would increase accident rates.  One of Ridge's campaign promises was that he would raise the maximum speed limit.

Speed limits of 65 went officially into effect on July 13, 1995.  I have a brochure entitled When & Where to Drive 65 that I picked up after the change that shows roadways at 65 highlighted in blue and ones at 55 in yellow, but there is no "##/##" date stamp anywhere on it.

[jeffandnicole]

When the Speed Limit went to 65 mph in PA initially, the PA Turnpike remained 55 mph east of I-76 to the Delaware River, mostly due to the 'urban' designation of the area.  Several years ago this stretch of the PA Turnpike was raised to 65 mph.

There is a significant portion of I-95 north of Philly that could go to 65 mph, but there doesn't appear to be any political will to make that occur.