The Nevada Department of Transportation will lower speed limits from 70 to 65 mph on a section of Interstate 80 east of Sparks.
Five 65 mph speed limit signs will replace the previous 70 mph interstate speed limit between Mustang exit 23 (east of Sparks) and Orchard exit 38 (west of Fernley). The new speed limit signs will be installed as early as 7a.m. March 30, unless installation is delayed by weather.
I-80 speed limits are currently 65 mph through Reno-Sparks and east to the Mustang area. The speed limit change extends that 65 mph speed limit further east beyond the Reno-Sparks metro area.
NDOT says as the region continues to develop, traffic on the corridor has increased almost 70% in 10 years, from 25,000 vehicles daily in 2011 to 42,000 vehicles daily in 2021.
Across Nevada, speed is a leading cause of traffic deaths. In a recent five-year period, there were 496 speeding-related fatalities in Nevada, representing more than a quarter of all fatal crashes.Â
(NDOT contributed to this report.)
