The fastest road in the country is now open to drivers in Central Texas. The 85 mile per hour portion of State Highway 130 opened this morning.
The toll road stretches across about 41 miles from Mustang Ridge to Seguin. It will soon cost drivers 15 cents per mile—or $6.17 to drive the length of the road—but it’s free through Nov. 10th.
Eighteen-wheelers will be charged 60 cents per mile. But, as reported last month, truckers may avoid the toll road altogether because driving over 65 mph reduces fuel efficiency and also raises safety concerns.
Some regular drivers have also expressed safety concerns about the 85 mph speed limit.
In a recent report on high speed limits not directly related to SH 130, the Texas Transportation Institute found that there isn’t clear evidence as to whether higher speed limits cause more accidents. However, TTI did find traffic accidents tended to be more severe if the vehicles involved were traveling at higher speeds.
According to the Texas Transportation Commission:
The 82nd Texas Legislature passed and the Governor signed House Bill 1201 which allows the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to establish speeds of up to 85 mph on certain Texas highways that were originally designed to accommodate such speeds.
