Oregon study says raising speed limit unsafe for trucks

EUGENE, Ore. – State lawmakers voted for it, but don’t expect the speed limit on Oregon highways to go up to 70 mph any time soon.

An Oregon Department of Transportation study released Friday advises against boosting the current 65 mph limit for cars on rural freeways, mostly because that would require the speed limits for trucks to go up as well. The issue is a state law that sets truck speed limits at 5 mph below car limits.

While the study said it was reasonable to raise car limits to 70 mph, “the engineering analysis supports a speed limit of 60 mph for trucks and not a higher limit.”

The 2003 Legislature authorized the Transportation Commission to raise speed limits to 70 mph for cars and 65 mph for trucks; the law was backed by the Oregon Trucking Association as long as the 5 mph rule for trucks remained intact.

If transportation officials follow the study’s engineering recommendation, Oregon will remain a slow zone on Interstate 5 between California and Washington, where drivers can speed up to 70 mph.

The ODOT study did recommend higher speeds in four urban areas where traffic had been slowed below the 65 mph statewide limit.