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Pedal To The Metal? Illinois To Get 70 MPH Speed Limit In 2014

(via Wikimedia Commons)

Some rural, four-lane highways in Illinois will now have a 70 mph speed limit thanks to a bill signing by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today.

Illinois will join 36 other states with speed limits of 70 mph or higher when the law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2014, Quinn's office says.

But, Illinois drivers in portions of St. Louis' Metro East might not be seeing the change - Quinn's office explains in their release: 

The law allows Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair and Will Counties to opt-out by adopting an ordinance that sets a lower maximum speed limit, empowering counties to make adjustments based on their own local needs.

St. Clair and Madison Counties are in the St. Louis area.

Also included in the law is an adjustment lowering the limit at which law enforcement can charge drivers with excessive speeding from the current 31 mph over the limit to 26 mph over the limit.