Speed limit on State Road 408 to be increased, to improve safety

ORLANDO, FL - Raising the speed limit to make a road safer sounds contradictory but that’s what’s being done as drivers will soon be able to pick up the pace on State Road 408.

The Central Florida Expressway Authority voted unanimously on Thursday to up the speed limit from 55 to 60 miles per hour, between Kirkman Road and Chickasaw Trail.

"If everybody is doing about the same speed limit, it is going to be safer for all the drivers out there," said Lt. Kim Montes, Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson.

Lt. Montes supports the change, adding that it closes the gap between speeds.

"You do have a segment of the population that is gonna do 55. If you have those people doing 55 and others doing 10, 15, 20 or more over, and there’s a difference in speed, that’s when we have the more likelihood of a crash," said Montes.

This stretch of road is prone to crashes. According to the Orlando Police Department, officers responded to 895 wrecks in 2019 and 522 in 2020.

"Somebody is going faster than the car in front of them and they don’t slow as they approach and run right in the back of them or they shift very hard to another lane and they overturn and we have a multi-car collision," said Montes.

Speed limit signs will be changed at a cost of $125,000 to the toll road authority and it may not even be permanent.

"[We'll] make sure we keep a good eye on this and do a study and come back to see if this is the right thing or do we revert back.  I know there’s a cost element that is bothersome, but I propose we make sure and do a study, to make sure we have done the right thing here," said Jay Madara, Expressway Authority board member.

The board acknowledged that a study may find that the speed limit needs to be raised again.

The change takes effect in the mid-late spring, when the signs change over.

Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.