Dave Sweet

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) The speed limit on I-70 increased from 65 mph to 70 mph on Tuesday.

The change is the result of a law passed in the Maryland General Assembly last year allowing the increase along a 31-mile stretch of I-70 from Howard County to Frederick County. The change also took place along a 45-mile section from Md. 180 to the Pennsylvania border.

“We did a thorough safety review of all of I-70,” said Dave Buck, spokesperson for the Maryland State Highway Association. “We looked at the entire segment and short of just two small segments the entire road if going to be 65, up to 70.”

Buck says the change is aimed to reflect the speed at which drivers actually drive.

“All it really does is it brings travel speeds closer together,” he said. “The 85th percentile was 72 or 73 miles per hour and that’s not going to change.”

(Photo: CNN)