The saying goes that everything is bigger in Texas. This fall that will apply to speed, too.
The Texas Transportation Commission has approved an 85-mph speed limit for a new toll road between Austin and San Antonio. It will be the highest speed limit in the United States, according to local news reports.
The toll road is a 41-mile stretch of Texas State Highway 130 known as Segments 5 and 6, running from Mustang Ridge near Austin to Seguin outside of San Antonio. If motorists drive at the speed limit, they'll cover the 41 miles in less than a half hour.
The 85-mph limit surpasses the current high in the United States, set on portions of Interstate 15 in Utah and sections of I-10 and I-20 in west Texas, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
But are the higher speeds safe?
The Insurance Institute says the higher the speed, the more dangerous for the motorists. Higher speeds limit reaction times, increases braking distances and put stresses on safety equipment in cars and on roads, the institute says.
"There are limits to the amount of crash energy that can be managed by vehicles, restraint systems and roadway hardware such as barriers and crash cushions. The higher the speed, the higher the likelihood that these limits will be exceeded in crashes, limiting the protection available for vehicle occupants," according to the institute's website.
Texas officials say safety won't be compromised by the higher speeds.
"Safety is our top priority and tests have shown the designated speed is a safe one," Mark Cross, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation, is quoted as saying by the Texas Tribune.
The SH 130 Concession Co. which built and will operate the toll road, says motorists bear responsibility for safety.
"We are committed to operating a safe, reliable highway for our customers. On any road, drivers hold the key to safety based on traffic, travel conditions and the capabilities of their own vehicles," the company said in a statement, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Tolls have yet to be set, but whatever they are drivers won't have to slow down to pay them.
"There will be no toll plazas on segments 5 & 6 of SH 130. Tolls will be collected electronically at certain points along the roadway, meaning motorists will not have to slow down or stop. Traffic will be 100% free flowing," according to The SH 130 Concession Co., which was formed by the Spanish construction company Cintra and the Texas company Zachary American Infrastructure.
Officials hope drivers will use the highway to avoid and alleviate congestion on Interstate 35, which the toll road operators say is more congested in the area than at any part in its entire length, from Canada to Mexico.
"We look forward to opening this segment of SH 130, which will help reduce congestion for the Austin-San Antonio corridor by providing Texas drivers and others with an alternate route for traveling through our great state," Cross told the Texas Tribune.
The toll road is required to open by November 11 but may open sooner.
"We are confident we will be open ahead of schedule,” Chris Lippincott, spokesman for the SH 130 Concession Company, told Texas Weekly.
While the higher speed promises quicker trips for drivers, it also means more money into state coffers. The concession company will pay the Texas Department of Transportation a $100 million bonus for the 85-mph limits, the Texas Tribune reported. If the limit had been set at 80 mph, the bonus would have been only $67 million, according to the report.
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It's already 85 mph on I-10/I-20 in Texas. Anybody ever drove from El Paso to San Antonia? It should be 100 mph. But no matter what the speed limit is people will drive 10 mph over the posted limit.
One big difference? Slick tires on a pick up truck is not the same as slick tires on a F1 car.
This may kill more Texans than guns
Your problem is you are not an English speaker, and you have no idea what you are posting, or where.
Come back when you have a clue.
mmh...85mph is a courtesy taken in every state...lol
baloney! the speed was limited nationwide to conserve gas during a "shortage" not because of safety issues...sheesh!
I had to laugh at this article. I went to Germany last year and drove on the Authobahn and if you are doing 55mph you better pray you are in the slow lane or else the mighty Ferrari emblem will be tattooed on your rear. Then again, drivers in Germany have to understand the language and pass a tough exam. In America all you need to do is cross the border, get a fake social and say hola and wammo you have a license, job, healthcare and free education.
This is not really news. People in Texas drive really fast on the highways anyway, they just mad it legal for people to drive the speed limit that most people go anyway. All this means is fewer tickets because people are already driving 85-90 mph on the interstate.
Many freeways around the country were built for higher speed limits than they now carry. The primary reason speed limits were lowered across the country was to save gas. The savings in lives was a bonus. How long do you think it will take for people to start driving 90 mph to 100 mph on this roadway after the speed limit is raised to 85. There are always people who want to drive faster who will push past the limit by a few miles per hour. How long do you think it will be before some fool tries texting at 85 mph. How soon will a drunk driver going 85 mph fly off the curve in the elevated section of road shown in the photo accompanying this article. Increased speed makes recovery from a driving error much more difficult because the forces involved are greater and the time to correct is shortened. Sure it's fun to drive fast until you make a mistake or until someone else's out-of-control vehicle is hurtling at you when you are both traveling at high speeds.
I lived in Europe for 2 years,6 weeks in Germany.The autoban has no soeed limit in designated sections. Look up their incident reports.FAR FAR less than the USA averages. Yes accidents happen,but at 60 or 85 while texting or drinking the outcome isnt going to be much different.This does not mean that other responsible drivers should be penalized.
Speed limits also have a lot to do with traffic density. Do your autobahn accident numbers mention traffic densities? Take a spin on an American interstate in or around New York or Los Angeles and then we can debate what the real factors for traffic accidents are.
I lived in Europe for awhile too. The drivers in Germany grow up using the autobahn and it was well designed to accommodate those high speeds. There are sure to be a lot of yahoos who are not used to high-speed driving on that Texas highway.
Chris, knock it off with the American one upsmanship. Most of the American highway system isn't in LA or NY. It's in the vast swath of the rest of the country that isn't densely populated. 9/10 of the country could handle no speed limit.
Come out to the Inland Empire in So calif on the 210 FWY..EVERYONE does 85-90 and higher!!!! They have for years! The Speed limit is 65..I try and stay around 70-75 and people are whizzing by me doing MUCH FASTER! If I went 85-90 Guess who'd get the ticket...??!!!!
The 85 mph speed limit actually puts it on par with most of Europe where 130kph is the norm. Speed limits in the US are traditionally very low even though we have far less congestion and more open stretches of road. Roads is Europe are also much safer due to better drivers education, better adherence to etiquette on the road (left lane for passing only), and tougher drunk driving regulations.
If the we fell in line with them, we could easily drive those speeds safely.
The other thing is states do not want to give up the millions in "tax" dollars they raise through speeding fines. Traffic outside Boston where I commute frequently mover 80+ mph in the 65 zones. Everyone is moving at that speed, even the cops. But if you do get stopped you are looking at a huge fine.
Obviously there are many prospective Darwin Award winners here in Texas.
We need higher speed limits. It has been proven that places with no speed limits tend to have lest collisions. Do you know why? because the speed is not the problem. The drivers are. If anyone has driven a vehicle here in Florida, they will know that some people are a threat to everyone in a 100 mile radius around them by simply sitting in a parked vehicle. It's a huge failure that the driving test in this state and many others isn't even done on a road but done in a parking lot.
It is a more efficient way to eliminate the world of Texans. I say increase it to 100 and let them drink and drive again. Anything that will work. Darwin is smiling.
And then you go over 85 by the accepted 5 mph to 90 and then you have those who want to get there just over and that goes up to 100 mph. This is a bad decision.
and you get the drunk Babbas going at 85mph or you get a flat tire at that speed or you use your gas faster or you try to text/phone someone. Bad idea.