70 mph speed limit in effect on WYO 130 north of Saratoga

The speed limit is now 70 mph on WYO 130 between I-80 and Saratoga.

The 19-mile highway section is the third in the state to get the higher speed limit this year.

Much of U.S. 85 from just east of its interchange with I-25 north of Cheyenne to Newcastle got the 70 mph limit on Jan. 15, and WYO 120 from about 18 miles north of Cody to the Montana border got the higher limit on Jan. 26.

The three highway sections were the first chosen from 1,546 miles of highway WYDOT identified as having the best potential for safely handling the 70 mph limit approved for two-lane, rural highways by the 2015 Legislature.

The decision to increase the speed limit on the three sections was made after completion of the comprehensive engineering study and traffic investigation required by state law. That study found the 70 mph limit to be safe and reasonable on those sections.

WYDOT will monitor speeds, crashes and traffic flows on the highways, and re-evaluate the higher limit annually.

WYDOT continues to study another 1,314 miles of highway for their potential to safely handle 70 mph speeds, including U.S. 20-26 between Casper and Shoshoni, U.S. 287 between Lander and Rawlins, Wyoming 220 between Casper and Muddy Gap, U.S. 191 from Rock Springs to Pinedale, and U.S. 14-16-20 east of Cody.

Among the factors being evaluated are the terrain the highways pass through, their crash histories, current travel speeds, traffic volumes and the percentage of heavy trucks, alignment and sight distances, the number and locations of intersections and the amount of agricultural and recreational use the routes experience.