Speed limits changed on Highway 73

The speed limit changed this week along Highway 73 in Carlton County, thanks to actions in 2014, when the Minnesota Legislature directed the Department of Transportation to evaluate its two-lane, two-way, 55-mph highways to determine whether speed limits could be reasonably and safely increased.

Speed limits on Highway 73 will increase from 55 mph to 60 mph:

• between Kettle River and milepost 18 (south of the curves prior to Carlton Highway 4)

• between Cromwell and U.S. Highway 2

• between Floodwood and Highway 169 in Hibbing

The speed limit will decrease from 55 mph to 50 mph:

• between I-35 and the roundabout in Moose Lake

Other 55 mph sections will remain at 55 mph including:

• between Moose Lake and Kettle River

• between milepost 18 and Cromwell

These speed changes are based on a traffic and engineering study, which looked at past crash rates, physical attributes of the highway (such as shoulder widths and access points) and an analysis of current driving speeds.