Virginia Speed Limit Changes – 1 July 2010.
 

As you may have heard, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 856 and Senate Bill 537 — both signed by Gov. Bob McDonnell — increasing the maximum allowable highway speed limit to 70 mph on certain highways AFTER a traffic engineering study is completed. The law goes into effect July 1, 2010, and the first sign changes will take place around that time.

The dates by which speed limit signs will be posted on sections eligible for the 70 mph increase will depend upon the available funding and time to complete any recommended roadway safety improvements identified in the study. During the study, VDOT will look at traffic, crash volume, congestion, road characteristics, signs, traffic flow, closeness of interchanges, development and what potential improvements could be made to the area including signs, guardrails and enforcement.

Fieldwork for the traffic engineering study began April 12, 2010, with the first sections (Phase I of a three phase study) scheduled to be reviewed by early June. However, not all sections can be studied by July 1 and I would not expect any changes to posted speed limits in our area (Phase II study area) to occur this early.

Interstates are not the only roads that may see an increase in posted speed limits. VDOT also will look at increasing the speed limits on 35 miles of HOV lanes and 150 miles of limited access roads (Route 199 in Williamsburg is included in the study).

Not sure if this will change anything in NOVA, but hopefully 81 gets a bump up to 70MPH.

this would have been nice 10 years ago when I would drive down to SC for school frequently. Going down was nice bc the speed limit would gradually increase the further I traveled but on the flip side going home sucked because it gradually decreased.

Most of the Southern States after you go thru Virginia is 70MPH at least in I-95 and I-85.

my point exactly