JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Drivers traveling Interstate 49 near Carthage will be able to drive up to 75 mph on a 45-mile stretch of the highway once the Missouri Department of Transportation updates the speed limit signs this fall.
The stretch runs from Exit 56, near Carthage’s Garrison Avenue exit, to just south of Exit 101 in Nevada, according to MoDOT’s announcement Wednesday identifying the interstate segments selected for higher speed limits.
The change follows a new Missouri law allowing MoDOT to raise the maximum speed limit on rural highways to 75 mph. The department reviewed eligible interstate segments before deciding where to make the increases.
“The department takes careful consideration of all the different factors that make up a roadway when setting speed limits, including how people use it,” MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger said. “This decision is not made lightly and comes after a detailed study into each of those factors to determine where we can move people and traffic efficiently at higher speeds without sacrificing safety.”
MoDOT said its review considered traffic volumes, truck traffic, current vehicle speeds, crash history, terrain, road design, safety features, nearby states’ speed limits and active construction.
Crews will update posted speed limit signs this fall. Until the signs change, drivers must continue to follow the speed limit currently posted on the highway.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Col. Michael A. Turner said motorists must continue to make safe driving decisions even with the higher limit.
“Even with an increase in speed, drivers must stay aware and reduce their speed on rural interstates when necessary,” Turner said. “Drive responsibly, stay alert, and adjust your speed for roadway and weather conditions.”
MoDOT will monitor crash data on the affected stretches and may lower the speed limit back to 70 mph if needed, the department said.
Hassinger also cautioned drivers against treating the new limit as a recommendation to travel faster.
“Let me emphasize the word ‘limit’ here,” Hassinger said. “The highways across our state were not built for 80+ mph traffic. And a driver is looking at a significantly shorter window to react to the road and conditions around them at that speed.”
The I-49 increase is one of several changes announced Wednesday. MoDOT also identified segments of I-29, I-35 and I-55 for 75 mph speed limits.
A map showing the selected interstate segments is below.
