Governor Pete Ricketts has made it official, the Nebraska Department of Transportation will now be able to raise the speed limit on some of the Cornhusker State's highways.
On Monday, Ricketts signed LB 1009, a bill presented by Senator John Murante of Grenta, which will streamline speed limits for Nebraskans.
Governor Ricketts says the new bill will make travel in Nebraska better and safer. “Giving greater predictability and uniformity to driver expectations is a key step towards creating a safe highway system. LB 1009 applies efficiency by streamlining our approach to how speed limits are set on Nebraska’s roads, especially for our rural highways.”
With the bill's passage, NDOT will use engineering and driver expectation research to bring uniformity to the system. Speeds on four-lane divided highways and designated stretches of two-lane highways will be approved up to 65 MPH. The maximum speed limit on four-lane expressways and highways will now be allowed to go up 70 MPH.
Senator Murante say this bill is an example of government working to deliver better policy for citizens. “By listening to Nebraskans who drive our roads every day, we heard we needed a change in our speed limit policy. I want to thank Governor Ricketts, Senator Hughes, and Senator Friesen. Together, we streamlined highway speed limits across Nebraska to put safety first.”
The law is expected to go into effect on July 19, 2018. The NDOT will work closely with communities to implement speed limit changes with safety in mind.