Lawmaker wants higher Ohio interstate speed limit

CINCINNATI (AP) — A state lawmaker wants to raise the speed limit on Ohio’s interstate highways from 65 mph to 70 mph to be consistent with the speed limit on the Ohio Turnpike and in neighboring states.

A 2009 effort by other lawmakers to raise the limit failed, but state Rep. Ron Maag says the Ohio Turnpike has since raised its limit to 70 mph, which Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia also have done, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported today.

“It’s just important to be consistent,” said the Republican lawmaker from southwest Ohio.

The Ohio Turnpike Commission voted in April to increase the limit for all vehicles on the turnpike, which is independently run and crosses northern Ohio, mostly as I-80.

Lt. Anne Ralston, an Ohio State Highway Patrol spokeswoman, said the patrol has concerns with raising the speed limit “because it diminishes traffic safety” and it would like to complete a year’s study on the matter.

But Maag said the interstate system is designed to handle traffic at higher speeds and vehicle safety has improved.