Senate panel approves speed limit increase

DES MOINES - Raising the speed limit to 75 mph on rural interstate highways in Iowa got the green light from a Senate subcommittee Wednesday.

Sens. Wally Horn, D-Cedar Rapids, and Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, said better vehicle and highway designs, technology upgrades and expanded safety features have convinced them that Iowa's divided interstates can handle faster travel speeds in agreeing to bump up the current interstate maximum speed of 70 mph.

'It isn't a real danger factor as far as I know,” said Horn, who speculated that a higher top speed could ease congestion in stretches like Interstate 380 between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. 'The roads are built for it and we can do it, so I would support raising it to 75.”

Feenstra noted that neighboring South Dakota has a 75 mph speed limit and he did not detect 'an uptick” in the number of crashes or traffic fatalities in that state.

However, Steve Gent of the state Department of Transportation said research data indicates that, while not 'huge numbers,” there would be more crashes and fatalities on Iowa interstates if the maximum speed was increased. He also said the change likely would result in increased construction costs to install new warning or advisory speed signs for some highway sections and any future reconstruction of interstates would have to be designed at 80 mph to accommodate traffic up to 5 mph over the posted limit.

After Iowa increased the speed limit on rural interstates from 65 to 70 mph in 2005, Gent said the average speed on Iowa's interstates only increased about 1.5 mph, to between 72 and 73 mph. He added that 72 mph is now the average speed on Iowa interstates. He also noted the last two years have marked the lowest annual traffic fatalities since World War II.

Sen. Chris Brase, D-Muscatine, the subcommittee's chairman and lone no vote, said his impression is Iowans already are traveling above the posted speed limit.

'I think the speed limits are reasonable at this time,” Brase said. 'Being a firefighter/paramedic, it's just not something I'm supportive of.”

Representatives of insurance companies who attended the meeting spoke against the proposal to raise Iowa's maximum speed limit from 70 mph 75 spoke against the change.

'From an insurance standpoint, we're looking at a significant increase in accidents,” said Tom Stanberry of the Iowa Insurance Institute.

Gent noted that Iowa's speed limit on interstate highways was 75 mph from 1959 to 1974. The maximum speed was lowered to 55 mph in 1974 to promote conservation during the nation's 'energy crisis” years before it was raised to 65 mph in 1987 and then to 70 mph in July 2005.

Senate File 213 now moves to the Senate Transportation Committee.

Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, the bill's author, said he was glad to see the bill get a fair hearing.

'I'm encouraged. There's a long ways to go in regard to this,” Zaun said after the meeting. 'We'll just see where it goes from here.”