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U.P. speed limits jump to 65 mph

ESCANABA — Several well-traveled highways across the Upper Peninsula including Delta and Schoolcraft counties will have their speed limits raised to 65 miles per hour according to the Michigan Department of Transportation and Michigan State Police.

A law signed in January tasked the two agencies with increasing speed limits on some state highways and freeways based on the results of engineering and safety studies. The law requires that these modified speed limits be in place prior to Jan. 5, 2018.

New speed limits will be posted on all of the selected freeway and non-freeway routes prior to mid-November, MDOT said.

Non-freeways in the Upper Peninsula selected for speed limit increases to 65 mph are:

— U.S. 2 from Wakefield to Iron River in Gogebic and Iron counties, 67 miles.

— U.S. 2 from Rapid River to St. Ignace in Delta, Schoolcraft and Mackinac counties, 119 miles.

— U.S. 45, north of U.S. 2 to M-26 in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties, 33 miles.

— M-28, east of Harvey to Christmas in Marquette and Alger counties, 33 miles.

— M-28 from Munising to I-75 in Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce, and Chippewa counties, 109 miles.

— M-28 from Wakefield to U.S. 41 in Gogebic, Ontonagon, Houghton, and Baraga counties, 75 miles.

— M-64 from M-28 to Old M-107 in Ontonagon County, 18 miles.

— M-77 from U.S. 2 to M-28 in Schoolcraft County, 16 miles.

— M-123 from I-75 to Paradise in Mackinac and Chippewa counties, 53 miles.

Also in the Upper Peninsula, the freeway speed limit will increase to 75 mph on I-75 from St. Ignace to Sault Ste. Marie, a distance of 50 miles in Mackinac and Chippewa counties. That new speed limit will be posted by mid-May.

When modifying speed limits, MDOT also will install advisory speed and curve warning signs, shorten passing zones, move signs, and change pavement markings where necessary. Reduced speed limits in communities along these corridors will remain in place.

“The corridors identified by MDOT and MSP were selected not only because studies indicated most drivers were already driving at those increased speeds, but also because their design and safety features were best suited to these speed limits,” said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. “We reviewed design speeds, crash patterns, number of access points, traffic volumes and continuity of these corridors, and chose them to minimize necessary improvements for higher speed limits.”

The engineering and safety studies utilized the 85th-percentile speed — the speed at or below which 85 percent of traffic is moving — which is a proven method to determine and establish safe speed limits, said Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the MSP.

“Troopers and motor carrier officers do, and will continue to, aggressively enforce all posted speed limits to ensure compliance by the motoring public,” Etue said.

Statewide, MDOT has announced 600 miles where the limits will increase from 70 to 75 mph, and 900 miles where they will go from 55 to 65 mph.

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