About 340 miles of highways in northern and western Minnesota will get higher speed limits in the next few weeks, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The two-lane highways, currently posted at 55 mph, will increase to 60 mph. The increases are the result of a 2014 legislative mandate for MnDOT over a five-year period to study the posted speed limits on all two-lane highways having a speed limit of 55 mph and make recommendations about changes. The first report of MnDOT’s findings was presented to the Minnesota Legislature in January. Reports will be presented each year for the next four years.

All of the increases are based on a traffic and engineering investigation of each location, which looks at past crash rates, physical attributes of the highway such as shoulder widths and access points, and what speed drivers are currently driving.