Travelers with lead feet leaving western Iowa have something to celebrate: Speed limits on I-29 and I-90 in South Dakota were raised to 80 mph one week ago. That includes the space between Sioux Falls and Minnesota, where it will go 65-80-70 in the span of about 12 miles. On I-29, Sioux City gets in the way of an abrupt high-speed transition, especially with all the construction right now.
Not everybody (see this Rapid City Journal story) is on board with the change, which made South Dakota the fifth state with an 80-mph limit, and came in conjunction with a 6-cent increase in the state’s gas tax.
For what it’s worth, the speed limit heading west on I-80 in Nebraska jumps to 75 after NE 370, while on the opposite side of Iowa, Wisconsin still sets a maximum of 65 everywhere. (Despite popular opinion, 80 is not the limit on I-80 in Iowa. At least, not yet.)