CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. — PennDOT is scheduled to launch its 70 mph pilot projects on a pair of interstates today.
Last month, State Transportation Secretary and Turnpike Commissioner Barry J. Schoch announced that beginning the week of Aug. 11, PennDOT plans to begin piloting a 70-mph speed limit on two interstates:
• 88 miles of Interstate 80 from Exit 101 (DuBois) in Clearfield County to mile marker 189 in Clinton County; and
• 21 miles of Interstate 380 from Interstate 84 in Lackawanna County to Exit 3 (Pocono Pines/Mt. Pocono) in Monroe County.
“Remember, even though we’re increasing the speed limit, motorists still must obey the law and drive safety. After all, 70 mph is the maximum speed, not the mandatory speed,” said PennDOT’s Mark Compton.
A stretch of the PA Turnpike, between the Blue Mountain and Morgantown interchanges, was raised to 70 MPH in July as part of the Pilot Project.
PennDOT will use data collected from the pilot locations while evaluating other 65-mph roadway sections for potential 70-mph implementation in the spring or summer next year. Roadway sections that can safely accommodate the increased speed could start being signed soon after the evaluations are complete.
Passed last fall by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Tom Corbett, Act 89 of 2013 enabled the PTC and PennDOT to raise the maximum speed limit on freeways within Pennsylvania to 70 mph. The plan invests an additional $2.4 billion to $2.5 billion into Pennsylvania’s transportation assets by its fifth year.
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