ST. PAUL, Minn. – The speed limit on 5,200 miles of two-lane rural highways is going from 55 to 60, the state Transportation Department announced. Sign changes, now underway, will be completed by spring, the department said. Explaining the change, engineering specialist Nathan Drewsa noted that motorists exceed the speed limit anyway. The change, Drewsa said, would mean more consistent travel speeds by drivers with only a slight effect the frequency or severity of crashes. Among affected routes in southeast Minnesota:
> U.S 14 from Owatonna to St. Charles.
> U.S. 52 from Canton to Interstate 90.
> U.S. 63 from the Iowa border to Zumbro Falls.
> State 16 from Dexter to Houston.
> State 30 from Ellendale to Chatfield.
> State 56 from U.S. 63 to Kenyon.
> State 80 from State 16 to Fountain.
> State 139 from the Iowa boarder to Harmony.
> State 250 from Lanesboro to State 30.