85 MPH speed limit coming

Yeah.....but what is the magic speed?
I really don't see what the big deal is.
Remember....this isn't an interstate highway.
It's a toll road.
Don't like it?
Don't drive on it.

If you don't want to subject yourself to the evils of driving at 85mph?
.....then you can always take I-35.
If you don't like the fencing, or the striping, or you just want to show those evil ferigners that they can't take advantage of good GOD fearing Americans by charging to drive on an inferior road? Same answer.
.....then you can always take I-35.
If you're one of those anti-hydrocarbon activists or a believer in AGW, and you think that driving faster than some notional speed is killing the planet?
.....then you can always take I-35.
If you're one of those buzz-kill "stay alive at 55" people who are struggling through the 5 stages of grief at the demise of the double nickle national speed limit???
....then well.....you're out of luck.

Stay on two lane blacktops.

 

I have driven the 85mph stretch in my prius, and yes this road is perfectly safe for the prius. The car though is a little temperamental at that speed, I would set it more at 80 mph (which is more fuel efficient) during good visibility, more like 75 mph at night to give more time to react to those feral hogs. I passed people going what looked like in their 60s, and you can safely go this speed. Its a speed limit, not a speed requirement. I would say I10 to houston is less safe, with all the traffic and speeders tailgating if you are not speeding. Plenty of room to pass on 130.

Absolutely, and people that live in rural texas understand there are deers and hogs that may cross. Lots of folks that have no idea have taken this toll road, but also this stretch seems particularly bad. They may want to fence off 5 or 6 of the worst miles. I know they are putting up better warning signs now, after a family rolled their SUV at night after hitting a pack of pigs. The family was all ok, but one of their dogs died.

This is the only real bipass of I35, and no the city of austin nor the state can restrict trucks on a interstate highway. The only stretch allowed is part of I580 in california that is grandfathered and had the truck restriction when the Interstate was built. Some idiots want to call the toll road the interstate, and make the interstate through austin a toll road. grr. This is all because the politicians did not want to raise gas taxes, for a needed road. When I35 was built austin was a small town, it was not built for over a million in the metro area. They would have built this bypass, and more people would use it if it was free. IMHO it should at least be free for trucks. That would lessen the traffic problems here.

 

They also hadn't master space travel before they wanted to do it. The attitude of not doing anything until is perfected means you will never achieve anything great.

Hell yes it is expensive. But it is infrastructure. Currently the whole thing is falling apart because of lack of funding.

No fewer options because these would be newer lanes. Not repurposing old lanes. If you're a wacko tin foil conspirator then none of this will make any sense. Government is good, and the longer people like you do everything in your power to dismantle it, the worse the situation will be. I also believe the "south" should succeed again until they come crawling back with their tails between their legs for all federal funding they suck out of the normal states without realizing it.

Not at all. A NASCAR race is a race. It is also a race where everyone is packed into a tight group always driving just at their ability and mechanical level. Any problem, no matter how small throws a wrench into the whole thing. People are going to die on the roads all the time, no matter what you do. I personally believe the majority of these aggressive driver accidents are the fault of slow motorists. They hog the fast lanes going under the speed limit. This causes people to swerve in and out of traffic to pass the dolt in the fast lane whereas if they had just moved over in the first place the aggressive driver would be on their way motoring without issue. Yes it is the slow driver's fault if their actions cause another more careless driver's action to hurt someone.

Germany doesn't have an issue with it on the few sections of autobahn without limits. But their driver licenses are an order of magnitude harder to get, their roads are well kept, and designed with constant corners and waves to keep drivers attentive versus hundreds of miles of straight flat and featureless roads found here.

 

So we don't need to double the size of it in order to 'invest in infrastructure', we can just fix what we have. But is it the RIGHT KIND of infrastructure? Driving across the country just doesn't make sense absent subsidies (like trillion$ in pavement).

Political rants belong in fhopol.

 

The size of the roads were based on 1950's traffic and military patterns. This is no longer true. Now it is all passenger vehicles and lorries. That's why it is completely backed up in any populated area and almost always has a medium load even in the middle of nowhere. This sort of project will take at least a decade. People are increasing, cars are increasing, globalization is increasing which is increasing the number of products being shipped, mostly by 18-wheelers.

The "subsidies" of having paved roads allows all the ground transport that runs the entire country. Everything from farming produce running across the country to getting cars from the ports of entry to the dealers everywhere. Trucks are the major users and a major part of the economy. Close the interstates and everything will have to be air transported which doesn't make sense at all. It is quite obvious you don't see out of your bubble.

 

The view of at least one race car driver - (much much more skilled driving than you and I) says your thinking about whether high speed is nice and safe - differs GREATLY:

Driving faster than 55mph isn't safe, says Formula One champion Damon Hill | Mail Online

Baahhhh what does he know . . .
.

 

He's one old guy who says that the other motorists are the problem. I can find lots of people who say the world is flat as well. They have books and articles published online, some with doctoral degrees. But they are obviously great sources.

You can find 1 person to support any argument you make.

 

What does he know, probably less than your average american high college student. Being a commedian or whatever on top gear probably qualifies you to give advice in the UK, but makes you less than worthless IMHO. You may need a better authoricty. If you want an F1 driver how about vettel or alonso, or someone actually good today that has been on at least part of the toll road. Seems like cherry picking a bbc comedian for advice is worse than lame. I wonder what krusty the clown thinks of the speed limit.

My objection is a foreign corporation paid the state for the speed limit, not that some washed up idiot has a problem with the speed limit. Has the stig actually even looked at statistics on speed limits, or has he just listened to clarkson talk too often?

The stig's bands name was "sex hitler and the hormones" found in less than 1 minute with google. I think the stig is a racist with bad taste. I am probably more qualified to say that than the stig is on judging speed limits. That thing may be all popular in the UK, but ....