Yes indeed. Coming soon to a new state highway in central Texas -- the only 85 MPH speed limit in the United States.

 

loading...

The Texas Department of  Transportation -- TxDOT -- says a toll road that's almost complete from San Antonio to north of Austin could be the first road in the country to have a posted 85 mile per hour speed limit.

The new road will be State Highway 130, and TxDOT is building it to take traffic off the heavily overcrowded Interstate 35 between San Antonio and north of Austin, a stretch that's one of the most congested highways in the country.

Not everyone likes this idea. Critics say higher speeds will lead to more fatal accidents, but a TxDOT spokesman says studies show roads are safer when all motorists are traveling the same speed.

Currently, only Texas and Utah allow motorists to drive 80 mph on long stretches of rural interstate highways.

The 85 mph limit would be the fastest in the western hemisphere and the second highest in the world.  It's reported that some roads in Poland have speed limits of 140 kilometers per hour, or about 86 mph.

More From Newstalk 860