55 mph a thing of the past

LINCOLN — No more fiddling with your cruise control.

The Nebraska Roads Department is midway through a review of speed limits that should result in more consistent rules throughout the state.

In many cases, motorists will be allowed to drive at 60 mph on rural two-lane highways that have been restricted to 55 mph.

So far, speed limits have been raised on about 360 miles of roads, mostly in western Nebraska, said Alan Swanson, a traffic analysis engineer for the Roads Department.

The review, which should be done next year, focuses on 1,135 miles of Nebraska roads that kept the 55 mph limit after the federal speed limit was repealed 15 years ago.

Nebraska's typical 60 mph limit on rural highways is lower than most surrounding states except for Iowa, which has a 70 mph limit on rural freeways and a 55 mph limit on all two-lane county and state highways.

Scott Falb, driver safety specialist for the Iowa Department of Transportation, said he isn't aware of any moves in his state to boost speed limits on rural highways.

Swanson said the Nebraska review was prompted by complaints from motorists baffled by speed limit changes along seemingly similar sections of highway.

Among them is Doug Leafgreen of Gering, a state highway commissioner who travels a lot for his job as a marketing vice president based in Scottsbluff.

Leafgreen said he would just as soon see 55 mph limits become a thing of the past in Nebraska.

“Today I don't believe a 55 mph speed limit is necessary on any (paved) highway in the state of Nebraska,” he said.

Leafgreen says his work regularly takes him into Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming, all of which have 65 mph limits on two-lane rural highways.

He said speed limits are inconsistent on Nebraska highways.

“I used to drive Highway 2 out of Alliance. You could drive that road at 65, and then hit 60, 55, and 60 again, all along a stretch of road where you can't tell the difference based on the construction of the road.

“You can get caught, almost like in a speed trap,” he said. “If you're not paying attention, you can get caught with that.”

When the federal 55 mph limit for most highways was repealed in 1996, Nebraska and many other states boosted their speed limits. Nebraska adopted a 75 mph limit on rural Interstate 80, 65 mph for expressways and 60 mph for most rural two-lane highways.

In Kansas, state traffic engineer Brian Gower said complaints about speed limits being too low are “about as common as winning the lottery twice in one year.”

More frequent, he said, are calls to lower the speed limit after a teenager or child is killed in a traffic accident.

Swanson said the Nebraska Roads Department has tweaked its standards for speed limits.

Instead of a simple checklist based on shoulder widths, hilliness and curves, engineers evaluate how fast people actually are driving and review crash records, surrounding land use and improvement plans.

So far, speed limits have been raised to 60 mph on about three-fourths of the roads reviewed.

Some eastern Nebraska examples include Nebraska 79 between North Bend and Snyder; Nebraska 53 between Alexandria and U.S. Highway 136; Nebraska 94 from Pender to U.S Highway 75; and U.S. Highway 75 from Burt County to Winnebago.

Still under review are Nebraska 1 from Elmwood to Murray; Nebraska 63 from Eagle to Ashland; Nebraska 66 from Louisville to Plattsmouth; and Spur 12B from Abie to David City.

The 55 mph limit on Nebraska 92 between Mead and west Omaha will not be raised until funds are obtained to widen the road to four lanes and smooth out some of its curves, Swanson said.

Mark Bohaty, a former state trooper who now operates a gun shop and firearms training school near Bruno, said a higher speed limit on Spur 12B would make him uneasy.

Bohaty said the current 55 mph is fast enough.

“For me, it's such a rural setting, there's so much farm equipment on the road, tractors and combines,” he said.

Nebraska highway commissioners stressed that safety remains the most important factor in determining proper speed limits.

“We're trying to be as consistent as we can without jeopardizing public safety,” said Ronald Books, commissioner from North Platte.

Richard Reiser, commissioner from Omaha, and Rod Vandeberg, commissioner from Falls City, said they rarely hear complaints about speed limits being too low in eastern Nebraska.

But they agree it's time that the Roads Department reviewed rural speed limits.

“There have been a lot of changes over the years,” said Vandeberg, a retired banker. “If we can safely raise the speed limit from 55 to 60, or even 65 in some areas, we should do that.”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9581, leslie.reed@owh.com

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