Texas rolls out 85 mph speed zone
 

It will be on a toll section of I-35 I believe. Apparently the state chose 85 over 80 because the toll authority will give them a bigger kickback of the tolls collected.

I wanna get on that road with a 62mph truck!!!

Mr. Ford, how does this work? I don't understand the relationship between tolls collected and speed limit.

I'm just guessing, (bored anyway)
you would attract more trucks and general traffic to take the toll?

People tend to save money and take parallel roads, if the speed limits are the same?

I really don't know, it's something I've never heard of myself. It may very well be exactly like Roadie stated. If you can take a toll road and run 85 vs a parallel road that only runs 55, it's worth taking the toll road in many people's eyes. As far as with Texas choosing 85 over 80...........maybe they just want to be special, they did say it will get the state more money and the almighty dollar is a big deal these days for states.

I think Hog is right. I read some more on this topic, and it looks like the contract the private road building company signed with TX rewarded the state with more money if the state raised the speed limit above 80.

The calculation obviously is that the road building company thinks that it will collect more tolls with a higher speed limit, and this, of course, is up to driver choice. And, of course, drivers prefer higher speed limits.

I'm not entirely comfortable with a private contract dictating a public speed limit. That smells like institutionalized corruption.

I don't. Whatever the speed limit is a majority of people have to do 5 over.

Awww - just think how fun it would be to watch people almost run into the trailer because they don't realize how slow you're going while they're texting someone.

What's really going to be scary, is some bent rim Mexican truck missing a mudflap, hurtling down that toll at breakneck speeds over 62mph.

The really sad part about this statement Hog.......is that it applies more towards trucks operated by Americans than it does Mexicans. I have seen some late 80's and early 90's trucks opearted out of Mexico that you had a hard time believing they were that old. Sure....they have the drivers down there that do not but one peso back into the truck......but a large majority take as much pride in the trucks down there....as pimps in New Jersey do their rides.