Missouri Senate passes bill to raise rural highway speed limit, measure heads to House

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- A bill seeking to raise the speed limit on Missouri rural highways is now heading to the House of Representatives.

On March 5, the Missouri Senate approved SB 1408, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Burger.

The bill will increase the maximum speed limit from 70 to 75 miles per hour on rural interstates and freeways.

Burger said when he drives to the Arkansas border, where the speed limit is 75 mph, he does not see a change in how people drive.

"As I talked to several people that traveled, like in Little Rock I have a friend that has a construction company that travels down there on the regular," he said. "He tells me the flow of traffic has been so much better since the speed limit has been raised to 75."

Burger said the surrounding states like Arkansas and Kansas have a speed limit of 75 mph.

Burger mentions neighboring states, including Arkansas and Kansas, have speed limits of 75 mph. In addition, Burger said the safety protocols of cars are continually getting better.

"Not every car has all the latest updates but everyday there's an old car being remove from our road and a new car replacing it," he said.

Burger said Missouri roads are in great shape.

"We're doing several expansions on our interstate highway system all across the state of Missouri. With those going into effect it would be better than today," he said.

In previous KQ2 reporting, a spokesperson from MoDOT stated that the speed limit should not be raised due to safety concerns.

"From a safety perspective, if speed limits are raised to 75 mph, the state should expect to see an associated increase in fatalities and serious injuries," said Taylor Brune, MoDOT communications director, in an email statement.

The bill has had two readings in the House and it making its way through the Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee.