Another US state adopts new speed limits on highways

Missouri has become the latest U.S. state to extend speed limits on its highways, joining a growing group of jurisdictions that allow faster traffic on certain roads. New legislation signed into law by Gov. Mike Kehoe — Senate Bill 1408, proposed by Republican Senator Jamie Burger — calls for raising the top speed from 70 to 75 miles per hour — approximately 112 and 120 km/h — on specific stretches of interstate highways and expressways located in rural areas of the state.

However, the change will not come into effect immediately and generally for all drivers. The Missouri Department of Transportation remains responsible for conducting a detailed technical assessment to determine which roads meet fully safe conditions to withstand the speed increase. Urban and rural expressways under other regulations are excluded from the measure, with rural stretches of I-70 and I-49 highways near Kansas City being the main candidates for regulatory change.

The director of the state agency pointed out that, although there is a strong appeal for the convenience of drivers, it is essential to integrate the element of safety into this discussion before any practical release.

Although the legislation makes the measure official with entry into force scheduled for the end of August, the initial expectation that the changes could be applied immediately was frustrated by the schedule of technical inspections of the traffic agency. State officials indicate that the thorough study and subsequent replacement of the signs could extend over several months, possibly reaching the end of the year or perhaps longer.

Until the entire structural validation and signaling process is completed and the new signs are properly installed along the highways, the addition of 5 miles per hour remains strictly prohibited for drivers in practice, requiring patience from those who transit through the regions covered by the new law.