Franklin Clark/Cadiz Record
Governor Steve Beshear (above, center) and others spoke Tuesday afternoon at Eastview Baptist Church in Christian County about the speed limit change along U.S. 68/Ky. 80, a change that has been proposed for a while now. By the end of the week, there will be signs indicating the change from 55 to 65 miles per hour.
“This is a well-designed, well-built highway that is a tremendous asset as a four-lane connector between Interstate 24 and Interstate 65 across southwestern Kentucky,” Gov. Beshear said. “Companies and motorists increasingly rely on Global Positioning System technology to plan travel routes, and those systems favor routes with higher speed limits. So, for its economic development value, it’s important for U.S. 68 to stand out from other routes that have a speed limit of 55.”
However, Beshear said it was important that the change not make the highway less safe, so the decision was only made after engineers with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet did speed studies and analyzed traffic data.
He added that with wide shoulders, few traffic lights and partially controlled access, the stretch of highway can accommodate higher speeds.
Eastview Baptist Church is located at 6985 Russellville Road in Hopkinsville – three miles east of the Eagle Way Bypass and 3.8 miles west of the Christian – Todd County line. Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock ordered the increase, which will stretch from just east of 68/80 Business in Cadiz to an existing 45 mph zone west of Bowling Green.
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