Can you believe it? Starting in September, parts of Texas will have the highest posted speed limit in the entire USA - 80 MPH !!!
Texas to Soon Have Country's Highest Speed Limit
WOAI-TV
80 MPH will soon be reality on hundreds of miles of west Texas interstates. Several hundred miles of Interstates 10 and 20 in west Texas will soon have the highest posted speed limits in the country, 1200 WOAI news reported today.
A measure which takes effect next month will allow Tex-DOT to raise the speed limit to 80 miles an hour on Interstate 10 between Kerr and Culverson counties, and on Interstate 20 in Ward and Culberson counties.
"Those stretches of highway are pretty isolated and pretty long, and they're actually designed for that speed of travel," State Rep Pete Gallego (D-Alpine) who wrote the new law, told 1200 WOAI news.
Gallego says he expects Tex-DOT to erect the first "SPEED LIMIT 80" signs in west Texas 'within six weeks,' and he added 'I want to be there when that happens.'
The speed limit in rural west Texas was raised to 70 miles per hour after the national 55 mile an hour speed limit was lifted in December of 1995. In 1999, the limit in west Texas and elsewhere was raised to 75 miles an hour.
"One of the fascinating things we've already learned from raising the speed limit from 70 to 75 is that the accident and fatality rate has actually gone down in those counties, because people get where they're going faster."
The 80 mile an hour limit would be the highest posted speed limit in the country. Arizona law allows speed limits of 'no more than 85 miles an hour' but no highway in Arizona has an 85 mile an hour speed limit, and a measure to raise the speed limits from 75 to 80 on rural stretches on Interstate 10 in that state died in the legislature.
Gallego concedes that raising the speed limit is not the best way to save gasoline, but he is philosophical about that.
"Driving 80 is not a mandate. You don't have to drive 80. If you think it will save gasoline, you can drive 55 through west Texas if you want to. 80 is just the maximum speed you can drive."
Gallego points out that under the ambitious 'Trans Texas Corridor' plan proposed by Governor Perry becomes reality, all of the 'Trans Texas Corridor' highways will have posted speed limits of 85 miles an hour.
Man, oh man! To *LEGALLY* be able to cover those interstates at 80 MPH (which means you can probably get away with 90 MPH given how most Texas DPS officers set their radars...) is going to be a Godsend. And if they really do get it to a legal 85 MPH... Wow!
Is Texas a Great State, or what?
Cheers!
Dallara
Last edited by dallara on Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thats pretty cool. You may have noticed that I poke fun at Texas from time to time. The Texas response to the Katrina crises has been the best, you should take alot of pride in your state.
That said, when I Fedex out surveys, my cutoff time varies, 6 : 45 pm for western states, 6 pm for eastern. Turns out Texas is not a western state, but is considered the same as "shudder", New York.
Well, Texas is bigger geographically than most countries in Europe, with a population that would rank high as well in comparison to most countries over there. Given the size, it makes sense that the state would want to allow its citizens to cross in haste. I sure would want to.
A good friend of mine from San Antonio is getting married in October. I'm a groomsman in his wedding. He says that we Virginians are a bunch of Yankees compared to Texans.
Member #93, June 2002
'14 BMW R1200RT "Wethead"
'77 BMW R100/7 "Airhead"
We have areas of Australia were you can go as fast as you like...waaa-hooo!
Strict speed limits apply within Northern Territory urban areas, and are clearly displayed by roadside signs and can range from as slow as 10 km/h in some specific areas. A 100 km limit applies on highways in the rural areas. No speed restriction is applied on the open bush roads but drivers are urged to take extreme care, particularly if they are not used to travelling in Outback conditions.
Fuel milage varies roughly in direct proportion to the speed. If you can get 200 miles out of a tank at 60 MPH, then you get 100 miles at 120 MPH. Back in the day, when there were no speed limits in the western desert states, a major job for the Highway Patrol was rescuing people out of gas in the middle of no man's land, who didn't realize this.
that's some ILL-Logic. I've gone across West Texas at over 95mph the whole way - I still got 218miles to a tankful. So, if I went 47.5mph, I could get 436 miles to a tank?
The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
Scotty - The roads in NT are paved if they are between major centres. Also very straight and boring - Except for the road trains, buffalos, kangaroos and errant tourists. It's canon-ball run heaven! No max limit provided the vehicle is being driven 'safely' - This means in good condition, good tyres and no dangerous moves!
Fuel consumption definitely suffers - Big time!
I ride an R1150GS Adventure with sidecar. IBA #39193
darth - Is that fast enough speed limit to save you any tickets?
If you can get 200 miles out of a tank at 60 MPH, then you get 100 miles at 120 MPH.
Wrong. Too many variables and no way is it directly proportional. I have had cars that got better mileage at 70 than 55. Depends on the car, engine, gearing, etc.
And I lived in Montana during the late 70s-early 80s gas crunch. All I remember about the Montana highway patrol is they traveled in packs. See one on the side of the road, you better slow down, there are more!
In my youth Kansas had the turnpike (I-70) posted for 85 mph. Plus, when I turned 16, my father decided a 1967 Pontiac GTO would be the ideal "family" car. (Dad was a great kid to have as a father!)
I considered I-70 a great tool for math education. The toll system included a time stamp. If you covered the distance too quickly you'd get nailed for sppeding. Every kid I knew with access to a hot car could calculate how long to wait at one of the service centers to drop into "legal" territory.
It turned out to be a bad combination a couple of years later when I wrecked his "goat". But boy, oh boy did I think I'd landed in heaven.
They wimped out and only raised the limit to 70 after the disastrous 55 period.
Last edited by JCsman on Thu Sep 01, 2005 10:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
At high speeds, aerodynamic drag determines the power requirement, and this goes up with the square of the speed, so double the speed, quadruple the power requirement. Fuel flow (all things being optimal,) is proportional to power, so the fuel per minute is quadrupled. But, you're going twice as fast, so you cover twice the distance per minute. So fuel consumption is doubled per unit of distance at twice the speed.
Some engines waste fuel at lower speeds, so this is a rough approximation.
My point is if you want to go real fast, be sure you know how far it is to the next gas station.
Very cool! I hadn't heard that! I live in the Dallas area and several hundred miles of that lonely I20 stretch is one the legs of my planned Iron Butt 1,000 mile ride. Legal 80 mph will make it a lot easier.
'05 R1200GS
Once owner of an '03 R1150R
Member #333 (cool number!)
(Dad was a great kid to have as a father!) 
But boy, oh boy did I think I'd landed in heaven.