MnDot says I-35W crash zone speed was lowered

Posted at 2:00 PM on October 14, 2011 by Paul Tosto
Filed under: Transportation

How fast was too fast?

That's been one of the questions this morning stemming from Thursday's deadly I-35W work zone crash.

Officials in some of the initial reports noted that the speed limit was 70 mph on that stretch of highway and that they were investigating whether the speed of the driver's car contributed to the crash.

Earlier this afternoon, the State Patrol said it determined the driver was not speeding.

That still left one puzzling factor: Why wasn't the speed limit lowered at the construction site?

It turns out it was. MPR News reporter Elizabeth Dunbar says MnDOT this afternoon is saying the speed limit where the crash occurred was posted at 60 mph, down from the normal 70 mph, and that drivers would have seen an orange sign as they approached the work zone.

Dunbar adds: MnDOT says distractions are biggest danger in work zones."