Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
The speed limit is now 70 mph from about 18 miles north of Cody to the Montana border.
WYDOT completed the task of changing the speed limit signs Monday.
The highway is one of three, weather permitting to allow for signs to be installed, where the higher speed limit will be in place this month.
U.S. 85 north of Cheyenne, Wyoming 130 from I-80 south to Saratoga, and Wyoming 120 from about 18 miles north of Cody to the Montana border are receiving the higher speed limit.
The three highway sections are among 1,546 miles of highway WYDOT identified as having the best potential for safely handling 70 mph speeds.
The decision to increase the speed limit on the three sections was made after completion of the comprehensive engineering study and traffic investigation required by state law. That study found the 70 mph limit to be safe and reasonable on those sections.
WYDOT will monitor speeds, crashes and traffic flows on the highways, and re-evaluate the higher limit annually.
WYDOT continues to study another 1,314 miles of highway for their potential to safely handle 70 mph speeds, including U.S. 20-26 between Casper and Shoshoni, U.S. 287 between Lander and Rawlins, Wyoming 220 between Casper and Muddy Gap, U.S/ 191 from Rock Springs to Pinedale, and U.S. 14-16-20 east of Cody.
Among the factors being evaluated are the terrain the highways pass through, their crash histories, current travel speeds, traffic volumes and the percentage of heavy trucks, alignment and sight distances, the number and locations of intersections and the amount of agricultural and recreational use the routes experience.