Skip to main content

60-mph divided highways in NC

Evidently, NCDOT has quietly decided to start signing certain highways with 60-mph speed limits rather than the typical 55 mph. Problem is, no one seems interested in admitting what highways are now signed with the higher limit.

The roads being considered for the higher limit are restricted-access, which means they don't have driveways coming off the sides but do have surface intersections rather than full interchanges. As of right now, the only roads I know of that are signed with the higher limit are NC 11 between Kinston and Winterville and US 17 from Elizabeth City to the Virginia state line. Beyond those, rumor has it that there are up to ten other highways that are eligible for the higher limits, but I haven't seen what they are or if they are signed with the new limits. One road that could have the higher limit, the NC 24/903 bypass of Kenansville in Duplin County, is still signed at 55 as of this past weekend.

Interestingly, freeway limits aren't being touched, even for 55-mph bypasses like the US 70 New Bern bypass and the US 17/NC 24 Jacksonville bypass -- at least, not yet.

So does anyone else know where the higher limits are either in place or planned to be put in?

Comments

Doug said…
I have seen similar arrangements for a 60 mph speed limit in Virginia, particularly along US 29. Can't speak so much for North Carolina, unless I go through my photos and spot a rogue 60 mph speed limit sign.
Anonymous said…
WV has had 60MPH expressways since the NMSL repeal.
Anonymous said…
It is now 60 mph on US 17 on the Shallotte bypass .

And 60 mph on US 74 around Laurinburg up to Maxton .

It is about time as much as 90 % of rural NC highways could be safely raised to 65-70 mph without issue . It is just plain stupid to continue to have the 100 % ignored 55 mph unless otherwise posted rule . This outdated law is from the 1940s to be still in effect on NC roads is just silly .

Our roads are safer , our cars are safer it is about time that this is taken into account when setting our posted speed limits across NC .

Popular posts from this blog

Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?

The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926.  Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California.  The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant.  However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes.  The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield.  In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range.   ...

Hawaii Route 50

Hawaii Route 50 is the longest Sign Route on the island of Kauai at 32.6 miles.  The entirety of Hawaii Route 50 is overlaid atop Kaumualii Highway from Lihue west to the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands. Hawaii Route 50 is one of the original 1955-era State Highway designations on Kauai.  Much of the Kaumualii Highway corridor was constructed during the sugar plantation boom of the late Hawaiian Kingdom.  The first tee beam bridge in Hawaii would be constructed along the Kaumualii Highway in 1911 at the Hanapepe.  Much of this highway would be modernized to two-lane standards through the 1930s and 1940s. This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking  here .  Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 50 and Kaumualii Highway Hawaii Route 50 is the longest highway on Kauai at 32.6 miles.  The highway begins at Rice Str...

Ghost Town Tuesday; Nichols, FL

A couple years ago I spent a lot of spare time exploring phosphate mining ghost towns in the Bone Valley of Polk County, Florida.  One ghost town in particular called Nichols on Polk County Route 676 west of Mulberry caught my eye due to a relative lack of documentation on ghosttowns.com. Nichols was created in 1905 during the early phosphate mining boom in the Bone Valley region.  For the time Nichols was unusual since it had company housing in the Nichols Mine site and private residences outside the gate.  Nichols is only about two miles west of Mulberry which probably made it a somewhat reasonable commute even by the wonky standards of the early 20th Century.  Most of the Bone Valley region was relatively remote which made commuting or homesteading impractical which is why there are so many ghost towns in the area.  The company housing section of Nichols was phased out and abandoned by 1950. The Nichols town site is largely abandoned and could "possibl...