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September 9, 1998 State to post 65 mph limit on 330 miles of roadsHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut and Hawaii are the only states to post a maximum 55 mph limit, but in a few weeks motorists legally can bid aloha to the Connecticut crawl. The State Traffic Commission, which includes the Public Safety, Motor Vehicle and Transportation commissioners, has decided to boost the speed limit on 330 miles of state highways on Oct. 1. Signs marking the change from 55 mph to 65 mph will be posted by the start of next month. ``This brings Connecticut back into the realm of reality when it comes to speed limits,'' said Rep. Robert Simmons, R-Stonington. The lawmaker fought for years for the speed limit increase. Most of the roads to receive the higher speed limit are in eastern Connecticut. Included are a 35-mile portion of Interstate 95 from Branford to the Route 161 overpass in East Lyme and a 33-mile section of I-84 from East Hartford to the Massachusetts state line. All of Interstate 395, which runs from East Lyme through Norwich to the Massachusetts state line, has also been marked for the higher speed limit. Richard Howard, manager of traffic engineering for the state Department of Transportation, said the agency considered accident statistics, traffic flow and population when designating roads for the higher speed limit. ``When a roadway is not congested, 65 mph is a safe speed,'' Howard said. ``When it's congested, you can't go that fast.'' Increasing the limit will not compromise safety, Howard said. Statistics show that more accidents occur not when motorists drive faster, but when they drive at disparate speeds. When the Legislature voted last session to raise the speed limit, lawmakers included a clause which will allow the DOT and State Traffic Commission to evaluate, and if necessary, change the speed limits on newly posted roads. Gov. John G. Rowland signed the bill into law despite criticism that the higher limit would increase the number of fatal accidents. State Sen. William Nickerson, R-Greenwich, said the lack of enforcement of the current 55 mph speed limit will only worsen. ``I'm well aware that people drive faster than 55 mph,'' said Nickerson, a member of the legislature's Transportation Committee who voted against the bill. ``But the law is not consistent with the needs of our congested state.'' Speeds on other roads stand to change as well, Howard said. The DOT will ask the General Assembly next year to approve a law that would allow a 60-mph speed limit in other areas.
Copyright 1996 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 
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