HOUSTON (AP) - State transportation officials are considering the first 85 mph speed limit in Texas on a 41-mile segment of toll road set to open between Austin and San Antonio.
Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Mark Cross said Thursday the agency is running tests before the highway's opening in the coming months.
Cross says part of the testing includes checking what speed most drivers are traveling on existing parts of state Highway 130, looking at the road's topography and checking the access points to ensure an 85 mph limit would be safe.
In 2011, the Texas Legislature upped the maximum speed limit from 80 mph to 85 mph, but only for future highways. Right now, only sparsely populated areas of West Texas have highways with 80 mph speed limits.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
