Rep. Martha Jane King announced Tuesday that her efforts to increase the speed limit on Todd and Logan counties’ KY 68/80 from 55 MPS to 65 MPH have been successful. Governor Steve Beshear and Rep. King will be in Logan County next Tuesday, Oct. 2, to make this announcement to the community. The time and place will be announced soon.
“This is great news for Todd and Logan Counties and all of the counties located between I-65 and 24,” said Rep. King.“Increasing the speed limit to 65 MPH will open that stretch of highway to more commerce, travel and traffic, which translates into economic opportunities for all of us.”
The speed limit will be raised 65 MPH on approximately 58.75 miles of US 68 between Cadiz and Bowling Green. The 65 MPH limit will start just east of US 68X in Cadiz. The speed limit will not be raised on a short 5-lane section around the I-24 interchange in Trigg County, the section through Hopkinsville, or the section through Russellville. The 65 MPH will ultimately stop at an existing 45 MPH zone to the west of Bowling Green.
Specifically, within Logan County, the speed limit would transition from 65 to 55 on the western approach to the Russellville Bypass. The 65 MPH speed limit would pick up again on the eastern side of the Bypass.
“US 68 will be now be recognized for the high quality, excellent highway that it is,” said Tom Harned, executive director of the Logan Economic Alliance for Development. “The 55 MPH speed limit did not accurately describe US 68 as a high quality interstate and GPS and Google maps failed to recognize it as an interstate because of the 55 MPH. Raising the limit to 65 MPH will now change that. I am grateful to Rep. King, area legislators, judge executives and everyone who supported this project.”
“I, too, want to thank Tom Harned and Kentucky Department of Transportation Cabinet Secretary Mike Hancock and the engineers and the folks I worked with on this project,” said Rep. King. “I am proud that we have convinced the Department of Transportation how important this speed increase is to Logan County. Trucks carrying goods across Logan County will be able to do so much more quickly and efficiently and this increase will help attract more commercial traffic throughout our area.”