Area lawmakers are sponsoring a bill that would raise speed limits on portions of U.S. 31 between South Bend and Indianapolis. This portion in southern St. Joseph County has a 65 mph speed limit but most of the highway between South Bend and Indianapolis is 60 mph. SBT Photo/SANTIAGO FLORES
One area lawmaker says the majority of motorists travel at a brisk 70 mph as they drive U.S. 31 between South Bend and Indianapolis — so why not ensure they’re doing it legally?
State Rep. B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, is co-authoring a bill that would raise the speed limit along much of U.S. 31, from the Indiana-Michigan state line to the Interstate 465 loop just north of the state capital.
“Basically, especially the part that’s limited-access on 31, the speed limit should be 70 — people are going 75 anyway,” Bauer said. “It would save some time, no question about it, but it does put in practice what people are already doing.”
The bill, authored primarily by state Rep. Timothy Harman, R-Bremen, would raise the speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph along a 15-mile stretch in Marshall County and southern St. Joseph County.
It would also raise the speed limit to 70 mph between U.S. 35 and Indiana 26 in Howard County. Otherwise, the speed limit along the entire stretch between I-465 and the state line would be set at 65 mph, except in urban areas. The current speed limit is 60 mph for long portions of the drive from South Bend to Indianapolis.
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