Speed Limit 55!!!

Growing up, the Speed Limit on the highway was always 55. My mom would always drive the speed limit, no matter what it was or where she was going. My dad would adhere to the speed limit in a general, roundabout sort of way. That is until mom would notice that he was speeding. Then she would then tell him to "slow down, Marty!" He always obliged, for a few miles at least.

There was this one spot on the Maine Turnpike, just North of Augusta, where the highway goes up over a little ridge and another road passes overhead via an overpass. On this particular overpass, the MTA (Maine Turnpike Authority) bolted up this big electronic sign that said "Speed Limit 55". The catch was, it only lit up if you were speeding, to slow people down. You had to be going a good ways over the limit for it to light up, 65 would do it, but I am not sure that 62 was fast enough to light it up.

We only went through this area two or three times a year. Us kids always egged my dad to "light up the sign" as we went by. It was a special moment for us to see that sign light up. Having "Speed Limit 55" flashing in big red neon letters was the highlight of many trips to my grandparents house. It didn't matter if we were in our 1970 Pontiac, the 1980 Chevy Impala, my dad's 1983 Mazda SE-5 pickup or our 1987 Chevy Blazer - my dad would always oblige.

They took the sign down after the speed limit was increased to 65 sometime in the 1990s. (Nice energy policy!) But you can still see the holes in the concrete and see the faded paint where the Speed Limit 55 sign once was. I always smile as I drive North and see my favorite overpass and I remember all those trips when I was young.