Speed Limit changes coming to Texas

Started by Brian556, September 01, 2011, 05:53:15 PM

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Brian556

I just heard on the news that the TRUCK and NIGHT SPEED LIMITs will be removed from Texas highways by the end of the year.



Alex

Some state highways may be eligible for 75 mph speed limits too.

http://www.txdot.gov/news/032-2011.htm

QuoteThe 82nd Texas Legislature passed and the Governor signed House Bill 1353, which takes effect on September 1. This legislation allows the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to create a 75-mile per hour speed limit on any state highway found to be reasonable and safe through a speed study. TxDOT will be reviewing existing 70-mile per hour speed limits to determine where a 75-mile per hour speed limit may be safely posted.

HB 1353 also eliminates the 65-mile per hour nighttime speed limit and all truck speed limits. On September 1, the existing nighttime and truck speed limits are repealed and no longer enforceable.

texaskdog

Great, since some rural interestates are only 70 MPH too

Scott5114

Good. Night speed limits are a crock of shit.
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rte66man

Especially as they never seemed to be obeyed or enforced.

rte66man
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Quillz

I've never seen a nighttime speed limit outside of Texas.

Also, didn't they just recently allow some rural highways to have 85 mph speed limits now?

Alps

Quote from: Quillz on September 07, 2011, 09:06:15 PM
I've never seen a nighttime speed limit outside of Texas.

Also, didn't they just recently allow some rural highways to have 85 mph speed limits now?
Ohio had them until not too long ago, such that there are still remnants. I'd point you to my I-275 page, but the update with the relevant sign is coming tomorrow/Sunday...

corco

Montana is night 65, and there's actually night speed limits on a lot of arterials in Tucson!

agentsteel53

US-1 in a portion of the Florida Keys has a speed limit of 35, to protect the endangered Key Deer.
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Sykotyk

Quote from: corco on September 08, 2011, 12:07:22 AM
Montana is night 65, and there's actually night speed limits on a lot of arterials in Tucson!

Montana has a split speed limit for day and night for both cars and trucks. So, on a non-freeway there's four speed limits posted. At least on the interstate there is no night time speed limit, just the 75/65 differential.

Texas FM routes tend to have split night time speed limits for cars and trucks as well (usually 65/55 at night). All trucks in Texas are currently capped at 70 no matter how fast the car speed is set. But, generally anything lower or equal and trucks get the same speed limit.

bassoon1986

DFW news just said 3 counties are about to up speed limits for I-20 to 75mph. It's the immediate counties to the east and west of DFW: Van Zandt to the east and Palo Pinto and Erath to the west

wtd67

From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
http://blogs.star-telegram.com/honkin_mad/2012/01/speed-limit-going-up-to-75-mph-on-another-1500-miles-of-texas-highways-80-mph-limit-still-in-place-i.html

Speed limit going up to 75 mph on another 1,500 miles of Texas highways; 80 mph limit still in place in West Texas
Good news for Texas leadfoots. The speed limit soon will be increasing on nearly 1,500 miles of highway - although motorists are strongly encouraged to obey the old speed limit until they see the new signs.
"The new speed limit is not official until the signs go up,"  said Carol Rawson, Texas Department of Transportation traffic operations director.
Highways will be posted for 75 mph in 60 counties after the Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday approved the change. The decision came after speed studies were conducted on the roads, where the current posted speed limit is 70 mph.
Where will the new speed limits be posted?
Interstate 10 – 289 miles across the counties of El Paso, Gillespie, Kerr, Kendall, Bexar, Guadalupe, Caldwell, Gonzales, Fayette, Colorado, Austin, Jefferson and Orange.
Interstate 20 – 423 miles across the counties of Crane, Ector, Midland, Martin, Howard, Mitchell, Nolan, Taylor, Callahan, Eastland, Erath, Palo Pinto, Van Zandt, Smith, Gregg and Harrison.
Interstate 27 – 109 miles across the counties of Lubbock, Hale, Swisher and Randall.
Interstate 30 – 139 miles across the counties of Hunt, Hopkins, Franklin, Titus, Morris and Bowie.
Interstate 35 – 106 miles across the counties of Webb, Medina, Atascosa, Bexar, Hill and Cooke.
Interstate 37 – 130 miles across the counties of Nueces, San Patricio, Live Oak, Atascosa and Bexar.
Interstate 40 – 166 miles across the counties of Deaf Smith, Oldham, Potter, Carson, Gray, Donley and Wheeler.
Interstate 44 – 11 miles across Wichita County.
Interstate 45 – 143 miles across the counties of Walker, Madison, Leon, Freestone and Navarro.
Four other highways in Central Texas got the new speed limit late last year. Once all the signs are up, there will be total of 3,063 miles of highway in Texas with a 75 mph speed limit.
And, of course, Texas is famous (safety advocates might say infamous) for its 80 mph speed limit on 521 miles of Interstates 10 and 20 in west Texas.
That's a grand total of 3,584 miles of road in which the speed limit is 75 or greater.
@gdickson

Read more here: http://blogs.star-telegram.com/honkin_mad/2012/01/speed-limit-going-up-to-75-mph-on-another-1500-miles-of-texas-highways-80-mph-limit-still-in-place-i.html#storylink=cpy

kphoger

Quote from: wtd67 on January 26, 2012, 07:46:23 PM
Interstate 35 — 106 miles across the counties of Webb, Medina, Atascosa, Bexar, Hill and Cooke.

This being the only one on the list that I drive halfway regularly, I must say it's about time.  Between San Antonio and Laredo, the landscape doesn't change much, and it's basically all empty land once you get past, say, Lytle or so.  The change from 70 to 75 and back again seemed so totally pointless and random.
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agentsteel53

#13
Quote from: kphoger on January 27, 2012, 10:30:41 AM
Quote from: wtd67 on January 26, 2012, 07:46:23 PM
Interstate 35 – 106 miles across the counties of Webb, Medina, Atascosa, Bexar, Hill and Cooke.

This being the only one on the list that I drive halfway regularly, I must say it's about time.

could be 80, easily.  along with I-69 (US-77) south of Corpus.

what are the criteria for making the speed limit 80?  I know 75 has to do with a county's density, but isn't 80 set by some kind of legislative board who decides on a per-county basis?  if so, they need to review some of those South Texas counties.

in fact, I'd even make some of US-83 south of Laredo go up to 75mph.  I believe a lot of the two-laner is 70.

(and these, of course, are the plausible suggestions.  if I had my way, anything signed for 75 or 80 right now would have no limit at all, and those signed for 70 would end up at anything between 70 and 95)
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M86

Quote from: Quillz on September 07, 2011, 09:06:15 PM
I've never seen a nighttime speed limit outside of Texas.

Sorry, it's an old thread, but I wanted to add that North Dakota had Night Speed Limits for a very short time, early 2000's (possibly late 90's).  If I remember right, it only lasted a few years.

texaskdog

I don't even mind night speed limits, they do make a lot of sense....its daytime speed limits that are generally ridiculous.  Remember the 55 speed limit?  Made sense for most 2 lane roads but was ridiculous for freeways with traffic going the same direction. Road conditions are an important factor.

1995hoo

Quote from: agentsteel53 on January 27, 2012, 11:37:28 AM
Quote from: kphoger on January 27, 2012, 10:30:41 AM
Quote from: wtd67 on January 26, 2012, 07:46:23 PM
Interstate 35 – 106 miles across the counties of Webb, Medina, Atascosa, Bexar, Hill and Cooke.

This being the only one on the list that I drive halfway regularly, I must say it's about time.

could be 80, easily.  along with I-69 (US-77) south of Corpus.

what are the criteria for making the speed limit 80?  I know 75 has to do with a county's density, but isn't 80 set by some kind of legislative board who decides on a per-county basis?  if so, they need to review some of those South Texas counties.

....

The original statute allowing 80-mph limits states that "the commission may establish a speed limit of 80 miles per hour on a part of Interstate Highway 10 or Interstate Highway 20 in Crockett, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kerr, Kimble, Pecos, Reeves, Sutton, or Ward County if the commission determines that 80 miles per hour is a reasonable and safe speed for that part of the highway."

The new statute allowing 85-mph limits states as follows:

Quote... [T]he commission may establish a speed limit not to exceed 85 miles per hour on a part of the state highway system if:
                  (1)  that part of the highway system is designed to accommodate travel at that established speed or a higher speed; and
                  (2)  the commission determines, after an engineering and traffic investigation, that the established speed limit is reasonable and safe for that part of the highway system.
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agentsteel53

the statute for 85mph seems like it can be applied to rural sections of I-10, I-20, and I-69.  may as well do the engineering study.
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agentsteel53

Quote from: texaskdog on January 30, 2012, 01:50:16 PM
Remember the 55 speed limit?  Made sense for most 2 lane roads but was ridiculous for freeways with traffic going the same direction.

well, that had to do with considerations somewhat more Equine Bowel Elimination than actual engineering studies of road conditions.
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dfwtbear

Anyone see any of the new signs up yet?

bassoon1986

i drove from DFW up 35 yesterday to Oklahoma and Cooke county still has 70 as the speed limit. I'm kind of surprised that Cooke county will bump up the speed limit just because through Gainesville the lanes seem narrow with the center wall between north and south bound lanes and a couple of turns that you'd feel a pull going 75 near the welcome center at the state line

InterstateNG

35 is still signed for 70 between Austin and San Antonio as well.
I demand an apology.

texaskdog

Still weird to see 70 MPH signs in Austin even south of 2222

oscar

I drove across Texas in the last few days.  Much of I-10 east of Houston, to the Louisiana state line, is now signed at 75mph.  AFAIK, under the old law 75mph never got that far east in Texas.

Parts of I-10 west of San Antonio, until the 80mph limits begin, are also signed at 75mph.  However, I'm not sure that's a recent change.
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InterstateNG

Quote from: texaskdog on February 26, 2012, 11:15:27 PM
Still weird to see 70 MPH signs in Austin even south of 2222

Why?  60 is fast enough, the road isn't designed for such speed even ignoring the congestion issues.
I demand an apology.



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