Drivers on the 183 South toll road should see speed limit signs of 75 miles per hour in a month or so.
The 8-mile highway from U.S. 290 East to Texas 71 received the designation Monday morning in a vote by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board.
The CTRMA board simultaneously voted to assign a speed limit of 70 miles an hour to the 45 SW toll road, a 3.6-mile freeway connecting FM 1626 and MoPac.
Studies conducted for the CTRMA showed about 85% of vehicles were driving at or below those speeds during normal driving conditions. That so-called "85th percentile method" is how the Texas Department of Transportation sets speed limits, although the method has critics.
"I call it the comfortable speed," Mike Sexton, CTRMA's acting director of engineering, told KUT earlier this month.
Installing the signs will take two to four weeks, but could be delayed by weather or global supply shortages, he said. The signs are made from aluminum and include a reflective coating so they can be seen at night.
"The goal is hopefully by the end of May to have signs up," Sexton said.
