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The top speed on some Maryland highways could go to 70 miles per hour under a bill passed by the Senate Thursday. The measure carried by a vote of 39 to 7, with dissenters warning increasing speed limits could cause more crashes and traffic fatalities. Sen. George C. Edwards, a Garrett County Republican and the bill's sponsor, said the bill authorizes but does not require the State Highway Administration to raise speed limits on some interstates and expressways. Most interstate highways are built to handle vehicles going 70 miles per hour, he said, noting that neighboring Pennsylvania and West Virginia...

BOSTON — Rep. Dan Winslow wants to raise the speed limit on certain stretches of interstate highways in Massachusetts from 65 miles per hour to 70 miles per hour. “Our roads are designed for 70. Our cars are designed for faster than 65,” Winslow told the Committee on Transportation Tuesday. If approved, the bill (H 3175) would increase the speed limit on parts of the Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate 91, and Interstate 95. Newton resident John Carr, who told the News Service highway speeds have been “an interest of mine for about 15 years,” favors an increase in the speed limit,...

This story was corrected on Jan. 29, 2013. An explanation follows the story. The speed limit on the Intercounty Connector could reach 70 miles per hour if a bill, introduced during the General Assembly's current session, passes. Del. Aruna Miller (D-Dist. 15) of Darnestown and Del. Neil Parrott (R-Dist. 2B) of Hagerstown are co-sponsoring the bill that would raise the maximum speed limit on interstates and expressways statewide from 65 to 70 miles per hour. The speed limit on the ICC would automatically increase from 55 to 70 miles per hour if the bill is passed. The Maryland Transportation Authority...

WOODSTOCK -- The last few days have been busy for Shenandoah County emergency personnel on Interstate 81. Or, as some people may feel, it's been like old times. Four notable crashes in a 10-mile stretch since Thursday afternoon -- there were two that day, one on Friday and a tractor-trailer overturned Tuesday morning -- may have been the most in such a short period of time since the Virginia Department of Transportation raised the posted speed limit throughout most of the jurisdiction to 70 mph last the fall. Official crash data, though, is not yet available for the past few...

Ohio Turnpike traffic could speed up just a bit come spring: the Ohio Turnpike Commission is to vote Monday on a proposal to increase the toll road's speed limit from 65 mph to 70 for all vehicles. Getting trucks off parallel secondary roads such as State Rt. 2 and U.S. 20 is the idea, said Pioneer, Ohio, Mayor Edward Kidston, the turnpike commission member who has placed the proposal on the board's agenda. Pioneer is on U.S. 20 in western Williams County, just north of the turnpike. Eliminating the turnpike's split speed limit, under which trucks and private buses were...

Virginia will increase speed limits to 70 mph on 680 miles of interstates by the end of the year. Gov. Robert F. McDonnell announced the change Wednesday. It will affect interstates located in areas that are rural or less populated. It includes segments of Interstate 66, from Faquier County to Interstate 81 and Interstate 95 from south of Fredricksburg to Ashland and from Prince George County to the North Carolina border. The Virginia Department of Transportation outlined the plan at a meeting of the Commonwealth Transportation Board on Wednesday. State officials said in a statement that the change should help...

A Virginia highway official is recommending the state raise the speed limit on most interstates to 70 mph by year’s end. That would include nearly all of Interstate 81 in Virginia, except for major urban areas including the stretch between Christiansburg and Roanoke, and parts of I-64, I-66, I-85 and I-95. Connie Sorrell, chief of system operations at the Virginia Department of Transportation, said this afternoon that she will brief the Commonwealth Transportation Board on her recommendation Wednesday. Sorrell said she recommends the higher limit for “areas that we felt could be operated safety at 70 miles per hour.” Sorrell...

State highway officials have mapped several stretches of Interstate 81, including several in Southwest Virginia, where the speed limit could be raised from 65 to 70 mph as soon as July 1. The General Assembly voted earlier this year to authorize selective raising of the interstate speed limit, and Gov. Bob McDonnell concurred. The Virginia Department of Transportation has the final say. VDOT said it will evaluate 741 miles of Interstates 64, 66, 77, 81, 95, 295 and 395 during an opening round of required studies. A new map posted Monday to the agency's Web site shows areas under initial...

Just because the speed limit on Virginia highways can go to 70 miles per hour on July 1 doesn't mean it will. Gov. Bob McDonnell signed a bill Monday to raise the maximum potential speed limit on interstates and other major roads from 65 mph, effective in the new fiscal year. But it's the Virginia Department of Transportation that decides whether to implement an actual increase and, if so, where. That process could take four months or longer, transportation officials said Thursday. Before it decides, VDOT intends to scrutinize each eligible section of road from a physical standpoint and crunch...