Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell may have put the brakes on holding a special session this year on transportation, but he’s stepped on the gas pedal on a new proposal to increase interstate speed limits across the commonwealth.

Fulfilling a pledge he made during his 2009 campaign, McDonnell announced Oct. 20 that the state Department of Transportation will increase speed limits on 680 miles of selected, rural highways across Virginia by Dec. 31. When implemented, about 61 percent of the state’s 1,119 miles of interstates will be 70-mph zones.

The current speed limit on these roads is 65 mph.

In a statement, the governor’s office said that increasing the speed limit to 70 mph would benefit driver safety by allowing traffic to move at a more consistent speed, shorten commute times and help move products faster around and through the state.

Loudoun residents won’t see any changes here in the county, but they are likely to see the shift to 70 mph limits on oft-traveled roads nearby.

These include a 40-mile stretch of I-66 between the I-81 interchange at Strasburg and US-15 at Haymarket and, a roughly 150-mile stretch of I-81 from the West Virginia border down through Roanoke to the Tennessee state line (with the exception of a small I-81 “safety corridor” around Roanoke).

County residents making southbound trips using I-95 will also see speed improvements. The new 70 mph speed limit will be in effect for a 35-mile stretch just south of Fredericksburg to just north of Richmond, and for another 45-mile stretch from just south of Petersburg to the North Carolina state line.

Other major interstates that will see 70 mph signs include portions of I-64, I-77, and I-85.

“The increase in the speed limit from 65 to 70 mph in rural and less populated areas of the state will help Virginians arrive at their destinations quicker and safer and will speed the delivery of goods and services throughout the commonwealth. This is just one step forward in our efforts to significantly improve Virginia’s transportation system,” McDonnell said.

The change from 65 mph to 70 mph was set in motion by the General Assembly this spring, which adopted legislation to up the speed limit. The plan was not ready to move forward, however, until the completion of a traffic engineering study.

Virginia’s transportation department analyzed more than 786 miles of interstate highways that could be remapped to 70 mph zones. According to the governor’s office, engineers reviewed crash patterns and history, speed data, physical conditions of the roadways and traffic patterns for candidate segments of highway, and the state police department was also consulted.

The 189 miles of state roads that will remain at 65 mph were deemed to be in mostly urban areas or areas with a high rate of accidents. VDOT noted that additional safety improvements for some roads will begin in the near future, including installation or upgrade of guardrails, rumble strips and road signs.

Delegate Thomas “Tag” Greason (R-eastern Loudoun) applauded the move.

“With input from VDOT after studying crash patterns and history, speed data, physical conditions of the roadways and traffic patterns, I am confident we can raise the speed limit in less-populated areas to actually make highways safer,” he said. “While this decision is fine for many parts of Virginia, we can’t take our eye off of the congestion problems we have here in Northern Virginia.”

To see a map of Virginia’s interstates that will move to a 70 mph speed limit zone, visit: http://www.virginiadot.org/news/resources/Statewide/70MPH_FINAL_RECOMM.pdf