# What states have a 75 mph speed limit on rural highways?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 20, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158 "2008-04-20T21:40:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/1 "2008-04-20T21:40:49Z")
I didn’t want to hijack [this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=464693)
I believe I’ve seen a 75 mph in western Arizona. Do any other states have 75 mph speed limits? In west Texas, I’ve seen 70 mph, but nothing higher.
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### Author:  [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/2 "2008-04-20T21:45:08Z")
Colorado has 75, even in the mountains. I think its only on Interstates, though.
I25 runs north/south and I70 runs east/west right through the center of the state (and through Denver.) 65 is the exception. 75 is the rule.
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### Author:  [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/3 "2008-04-20T21:51:39Z")
New Mexico is 75 on interstates except through town, or a few curvey stretches, where it is usually 65.
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### Author:  [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/4 "2008-04-20T21:58:16Z")
Nebraska has a 75 mph limit on the interstate, as well.
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### Author:  [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/5 "2008-04-20T22:00:19Z")
Here’s a chart: [http://www.iihs.org/laws/speedlimits.aspx](http://www.iihs.org/laws/speedlimits.aspx)
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### Author:  [@Unix\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unix_Geek)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/6 "2008-04-20T22:02:01Z")
In Oklahoma, the turnpikes have 75mph speed limits.
Fastest Rural Interstate Speed Limits for Cars from this link (75MPH):
[http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/jan2006/bw20060103\_516188.htm](http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/jan2006/bw20060103_516188.htm)
Arizona
Colorado
Idaho
Montana
Nebraska
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oklahoma (But again only on limited access turnpikes)
South Dakota
Texas (Again only on VERY rural stretches. Counties with less than 15 people per square mile)
Utah
Wyoming
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### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/7 "2008-04-20T22:05:35Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42]
I didn’t want to hijack [this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=464693)
I believe I’ve seen a 75 mph in western Arizona. Do any other states have 75 mph speed limits? In west Texas, I’ve seen 70 mph, but nothing higher.
[/QUOTE]
Actually, that thread had a post by **OttoDaFe** which included a link that [LISTED](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States#Montana)
all the states limits.
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming have 75 limits.
Texas has one stretch of freeway where the posted limit is [80.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Texas_80_mph_speed_limit_unveiling.JPG)
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### Author:  [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/8 "2008-04-20T22:07:29Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42]
I didn’t want to hijack [this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=464693)
I believe I’ve seen a 75 mph in western Arizona. Do any other states have 75 mph speed limits? In west Texas, I’ve seen 70 mph, but nothing higher.
[/QUOTE]
Your question asks about “rural highways”. As **Gfactor’s** link shows, the 75 mph speed limit is in all states that allow it limited to the Interstate, which is different from state highways. On state highways (which in the link would be under the category of “other limited access roads”), it looks like the highest allowed speed is 70 mph, depending on state.
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### Author:  [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/9 "2008-04-20T22:13:33Z")
[QUOTE=Kevbo]
New Mexico is 75 on interstates except through town, or a few curvey stretches, where it is usually 65.
[/QUOTE]
On I-25, once you get into Albuquerque, the limit drops to 55.
Here’s a [wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States) page on speed limits in the US.
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### Author:  [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/10 "2008-04-21T02:30:46Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi]
Your question asks about “rural highways”. As **Gfactor’s** link shows, the 75 mph speed limit is in all states that allow it limited to the Interstate, which is different from state highways. On state highways (which in the link would be under the category of “other limited access roads”), it looks like the highest allowed speed is 70 mph, depending on state.
[/QUOTE]
Well, actually, **Jodi** , “rural” has nothing to do with being an “interstate.” You can have a rural “interstate” speed, and most states do. And that can apply to non-interstate highways built to “interstate” standards, such as, for example, certain stretches of US 101 in California.
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### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2008, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/11 "2008-04-21T12:16:46Z")
[QUOTE=NinjaChick]
On I-25, once you get into Albuquerque, the limit drops to 55.
Here’s a [wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States) page on speed limits in the US.
[/QUOTE]
South of I-40 only where the design of the highway dictates the lower limit. It’s back up to 65 once you get past that stretch of road.
Oh, and does US-70 count as a rural highway? It’s 75 through all of White Sands.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/12 "2008-04-21T12:36:51Z")
There are stretches of rural far West Texas where it’s legal to do [80 mph](http://www.houstonfreeways.com/modern/2007-01-07_80mph_west_texas.aspx). Even then, it’s so vast that 80 seems far too slow.
_“This is reportedly the highest posted speed limit in the United States as of January 2007. Legislation authorized the 80 mph speed limit in the daytime on I-10 and I-20 in Crockett, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kerr, Kimble, Pecos, Reeves, Sutton, and Ward counties. This translates to about 460 miles of I-10, east of El Paso to northwest of San Antonio, and 86 miles of I-20 west of Odessa.”_
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### Author:  [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-states-have-a-75-mph-speed-limit-on-rural-highways/446158/13 "2008-04-21T20:23:00Z")
[QUOTE=NinjaChick]
On I-25, once you get into Albuquerque, the limit drops to 55.
Here’s a [wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States) page on speed limits in the US.
[/QUOTE]
It’s only 55 near the Big I (Junction I-40/I-25), and 65 in the rest of town. Anybody know when that changed? I noticed that for the first time this morning, it used to be 65 through there.