Lawmaker Pushes For 80 MPH Speed Limit On Some Michigan Roads

LANSING (WWJ) - There will be another attempt to "UP" the speed limit on some roads in Michigan.

State lawmakers have a proposal before them to increase the speed limit on some Michigan freeways to 80 miles per hour. Those stretches of road would be designated as rural freeways.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Brad Jacobsen of Oakland County, has also included a provision in the legislation that prevents drivers who receive speeding tickets for 5 mph over the limit from receiving any points on their record.

"If you like to put the pedal to the metal and speed just a little bit, don't get too excited yet because this bill may not pass. It's been introduced in the lame duck session," said WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick.

Last year, a Michigan senator introduced a similar proposal to increase the speed limit on some local freeways from 55 to 70 miles per hour, but that went nowhere fast.

The bill does not detail what conditions would have to be met for a road to qualify as a rural freeway.

A lame duck session occurs when legislators meet after a successor is elected, but before the successor's term begins.