ST. PAUL - The state Department of Transportation will raise the posted speed limit from 55 mph to 60 mph on the entire length of U.S. Highway 75, the majority of U.S. Highway 59 and on 14 miles of state Highway 7 in western Minnesota. Crews began installation of the new 60 mph signs on Monday; the speed limit will be effective once the signs are posted.
MnDOT traffic engineers studied the best “candidate” highways and found that the approximately 730 combined miles of Highway 59, Highway 75 and Highway 7 meet the necessary criteria.
“We did a careful and thorough study, looking at crash history, the way the roads are designed and what speed the traffic is actually traveling on the road,” said Sue Groth, MnDOT’s state traffic engineer. “Sixty miles per hour was determined to be the safe and reasonable speed limits for these roadways.”
Highway 75 enters Minnesota south of Luverne and runs through Pipestone, Canby and Breckenridge and is the main north-to-south route through Moorhead. It ends at the Canadian border.
Highway 59 enters Minnesota south of Worthington and overlaps Interstate 94 near Fergus Falls. The route passes through Detroit Lakes and Thief River Falls before ending at the Canadian border. Two segments of Highway 59 will remain posted at 55 mph between Clarkfield and Marshall and south of I-90 because of different roadway characteristics, including narrower shoulders and reduced sight lines.
Current speed zones through towns on both roadways will remain unchanged.
In addition, MnDOT will raise the speed limit on the 14-mile segment of Highway 7 that runs between Highway 75 near Odessa and Highway 59 near Appleton.
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