Speed limit going up to 60 mph on S.R. 408 to keep drivers safer, FHP says

ORLANDO, Fla. - The speed limit on State Road 408 is about to go up to 60 miles an hour, and officials say raising the speed limit will actually keep drivers safer.

State Road 408, also known as the Spessard L. Holland East-West Expressway, is the 22-mile toll road that runs east-west, connecting Ocoee from Florida’s Turnpike in west Orange County to SR 50, east of Alafaya Trail near the University of Central Florida in east Orange County. 

At its peak, more than 164,000 vehicles a day travel the 408 as it crosses downtown Orlando, according to the Central Florida Expressway Authority.

Crews started working to update speed limit signs on Wednesday, and as soon as all the signs are updated and posted, the new speed limit will be effective immediately.

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It is expected that by Friday, drivers will legally be able to travel five miles faster on S.R. 408, between Kirkman Road and Chickasaw Trail.

Experts say it will be safer that way and that's getting some interesting reaction. Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant Kim Montes explains.

"If everybody is doing about the same speed limit, it is gonna be safer for all the drivers up there. It closes the gap between speeds which should reduce the number of rear-end collisions," she said.

This stretch of road is prone to crashes.  In 2019, police responded to 895 wrecks and 522 in 2020.

There are 55 signs that need to be changed with a price tag of about $125,000.

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