Top Pa. Lawmaker Wants Top Speed Limits Increased to 70 MPH
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- The top member of the Pennsylvania Senate is getting behind legislation that could see the speed limit on major highways increased to 70 miles an hour.
Raising the speed limit in Pennsylvania is not a new idea. A bill to do that got through a state House committee last year.
But the support of a leader like Republican state senator Joe Scarnati, the president pro tempore of the state senate, could be a game changer.
Scarnati says he's seeking co-sponsors for a bill that would allow PennDOT to raise the speed limit to 70 miles an hour on sections of interstate highways and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Scarnati says speed limits were reduced decades ago due to concerns about fuel savings.
"With higher fuel efficient vehicles now, and safer vehicles, I think it makes sense (to increase the speed limits). And most of all, it really helps our economic impact," he said today.
Scarnati believes that since numerous other states have opted for a maximum speed limit of 70 or more, it's a matter of remaining competitive with regard to moving goods and services through Pennsylvania.
