Beltrami County seeks MnDOT speed study on County State Aid Highway 1

Beltrami County officials were set to ask the Minnesota Department of Transportation for a speed study on County State Aid Highway 1, hoping to raise the posted limit from 55 mph to 60 mph on a 5.75-mile stretch along the Marshall County line. The section runs from 0.7 miles north of County Road 706 to the northern edge of the county and carries truck traffic and regional commuters through northwest Minnesota.

Public Works Director Bruce Hasbargen said the request would be different from the county’s other speed-related asks because Beltrami County was seeking a higher limit, not a lower one. The county’s move would put MnDOT’s engineering and traffic review process at the center of the decision, since Minnesota sets nonstatutory speed limits through that kind of investigation.

MnDOT says those studies weigh road type and condition, the location of access points, existing traffic control devices, crash history, traffic volume, sight distances and travel speed samples. The agency also points to speed monitoring data and the 85th percentile speed as a key measure of how fast most drivers are actually traveling on a roadway.

If MnDOT’s review supports the county’s position, drivers on CSAH 1 could realistically see a new posted speed limit and fresh signage along the corridor. For residents and businesses tied to the route, the study could determine whether the road stays at the statewide county-road norm of 55 mph or shifts to a higher limit that better matches current traffic patterns.