SEGUIN, TX – How would you like to take an autobahn to Austin?
It could happen if TxDOT approves an 85 mile an hour speed limit on the Highway 130 toll from Seguin to Austin that’s under construction.
From the start, the toll road was intended to help decongest I-35 between San Antonio to Austin, a stretch that’s typically bumper-to-bumper.
"Holidays, weekends, it doesn't matter what time of day it is,” driver Koree Copeland says. “It's always like this."
The stop-and-go traffic moves at a snail’s pace, but what if you could make the drive at 85?
“Eighty-five is pretty fast,” one driver says.
That’s the idea, to give drivers a faster route while also clearing up I-35 through Central Texas, the fourth most congested road in the country.
"I think it would be okay,” driver Amber Fogg says. “I've driven the road and it feels safe."
But TxDOT will conduct safety tests on the road before making any changes.
"The high speed is a concern with safety, increased fatality accidents that could happen,” driver Amanda Seats says.
Putting the pedal to the metal would come at a price: it is a toll road, after all. Some drivers say they’d rather spend the cash than their time in traffic.
"You can save a lot of money in gas by not stopping all the time,” Copeland says. “And then I think it would be well worth the money."
"Especially if it's a toll road and people have the choice between the two highways,” Seats says.
If TxDOT gives the green light, the toll road would have the highest speed limit in the country.
Last year, Texas lawmakers paved the way for something like this by increasing the maximum allowed speed limit to 85, but only for brand-new highways.
