Iowa raises speed limit, effective July 1

A new law raising Iowa’s speed limit from 55 to 60 mph takes effect on July 1, even though speed limit signs in the state still need to be updated. Steven McElmeel, Assistant District Engineer for District Five for the Iowa DOT, spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to talk about the change in the state’s speed limit.

He said there could be some confusion in the early days of the change, but drivers should watch for signs to alert them to changes. “We should always follow the posted speeds wherever possible. That is the law. So, whatever’s out there, posted, is the speed limit. The speed limit that’s being raised is the statutory speed limit, which means if it’s not posted and it’s a two-lane facility highway, it’s 60 miles an hour, you can assume that. If it’s posted at 55, you should drive 55.”

Not every road in the state will see a higher speed limit, he said. “There are some routes that we are not going to raise to 60 just based on safety aspects. Some routes need a little further evaluation. That’s not to say that they’re not going to be 60 eventually, but there’s a couple routes in each district that we’re not going to raise to 60 right away. Everyone should drive the posted speed limit to be safe.”

McElmeel said he can’t speak for law enforcement officers, but he has talked to them about enforcing the new law. “Anytime I’ve talked to any law enforcement officer regarding this, they realize that there’s a transition period and there might be some confusion,” he said. “They’re going to be trying to be lenient, but if you see a posted speed limit, I would advise that trying to keep to that.

Even though the law goes into effect on July 1, signs statewide still need to be updated, he said. “Obviously we’re not going to snap our fingers and have every sign changed. There might be some areas where there’s a conflicting sign.”

“Try to be patient with us. We are planning on getting out there and changing the signs as fast as possible, but it could take up to a couple weeks. There’s quite a few out there. There are going to be some routes that aren’t raised right away for safety reasons and so I advise driving the speed limit, whatever’s posted.”

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