By Brian Costin -
The Illinois Senate has overwhelmingly approved legislation to improve the state’s maximum speed limit to 70 mph. The legislation, Senate Bill 2356, was introduced by freshman state Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, and was approved by a 41-6 margin.
Illinois currently has one of the lowest speed limits in the entire country. In the Midwest, only Illinois and Wisconsin have a maximum speed limit lower than 70 mph.
If the legislation also passes the Illinois House and is signed by the governor, the speed limit on tollways and interstates would be raised to 70 mph, up from 65 mph. The maximum speed limit on other highways, roads and streets would be increased to 65 mph, up from 55 mph.
The bill takes into consideration the increased traffic congestion in urban areas, but provides an exception for counties in urban areas of the state, which may adopt ordinances setting a lower maximum speed limit. The urban counties include Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair and Will.
The measure would bring Illinois speed limits closer in line with the rest of the country, and would allow people and commerce to legally travel faster across the state.
Brian Costin is Director of Government Reform at the Illinois Policy Institute
