INDIANAPOLIS — A new bill under consideration may soon increase the speed limit on Interstate 465 from 55 miles per hour to 65 miles per hour, generating mixed reactions from local drivers and officials.
House Bill 1461, which primarily addresses road funding, includes a provision to improve safety by aligning speed limits more closely with actual driving behavior.
State Rep. Jim Pressel, who authored the bill, noted that many drivers are already traveling at higher speeds.
“Traffic is typically driving 75 to 80 miles an hour,” he said, adding that maintaining a speed limit of 55 could create more dangerous conditions.
“If we were to increase the speed... it could actually be safer.”
While Pressel believes that raising the limit could reduce accidents caused by speed variance, some drivers are skeptical.
“Most of the accidents are because of the speed limit. Yesterday I saw about 2 to 4 accidents... that was really crazy," explained one driver at a south side gas station.
In addition to addressing speed limits, the bill also presents the possibility of implementing tolls across the state, though Pressel does not anticipate those changes happening in the near future.
“That totally lies within the governor's purview... 70 or 80% of that traffic is out of state,” he remarked.
WRTV reached out to the Indiana Department of Transportation regarding the speed limit change.
In a statement the agency said:
“INDOT is currently working to develop plans to safely execute an increased speed limit on I-465. We will continue to work collaboratively with the Federal Highway Administration throughout the process."
If the governor chooses to sign the bill, the new speed limit on I-465 could take effect on July 1.
