HOUSE BILL NO. 3024 Offered January 10, 2007 A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-870 of the Code of Virginia, relating to maximum speed limits. ---------- Patron-- Fralin ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 46.2-870 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 46.2-870. Maximum speed limits generally.

Except as otherwise provided in this article, the maximum speed limit shall be 55 miles per hour on interstate highways or other limited access highways with divided roadways, nonlimited access highways having four or more lanes, and all state primary highways.

The maximum speed limit on all other highways shall be 55 miles per hour if the vehicle is a passenger motor vehicle, bus, pickup or panel truck, or a motorcycle, but 45 miles per hour on such highways if the vehicle is a truck, tractor truck, or combination of vehicles designed to transport property, or is a motor vehicle being used to tow a vehicle designed for self-propulsion, or a house trailer.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the maximum speed limit shall be 65 miles per hour where indicated by lawfully placed signs, erected subsequent to a traffic engineering study, on: (i) interstate highways, (ii) multilane, divided, limited access highways, and (iii) high-occupancy vehicle lanes if such lanes are physically separated from regular travel lanes. The maximum speed limit on Interstate Route 85 shall be 70 miles per hour where indicated by lawfully placed signs, erected subsequent to a traffic engineering study. The maximum speed limit shall be 60 miles per hour where indicated by lawfully placed signs, erected subsequent to a traffic engineering study and analysis of accident and law-enforcement data, on U.S. Route 29, U.S. Route 58, U.S. Route 360, U.S. Route 460, and on U.S. Route 17 between the town of Port Royal and Saluda where they are nonlimited access, multilane, divided highways.