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Montana Lawmakers Propose 85 Mph Speed Limit on Interstates

posted by janrinok on Tuesday December 02 2014, @11:41AM   Printer-friendly
from the speeeeeed! dept.

Hugh Pickens writes:

AP reports that Montana lawmakers are drafting bills that would raise the daytime speed limit on Montana interstate highways from 75 to 80 and possibly as high as 85 mph. “I just think our roads are engineered well, and technology is such we can drive those roads safely,” says Art Wittich noting that Utah, Wyoming and Idaho have raised their speed limits above 75, and they haven't had any problems and drivers on German autobahns average about 84 mph. State Senator Scott Sales says he spent seven months working in the Bakken oil patch, driving back and forth to Bozeman regularly. “If I could drive 85 mph on the interstate, it would save an hour,” says Sales. “Eighty-five would be fine with me."

A few years ago Texas opened a 40 mile stretch on part of a toll road called the Pickle Parkway between Austin and San Antonio. The tolled bypass was supposed to help relieve the bottleneck around Austin but the highway was built so far to the east that practically nobody used it. In desperation, the state raised the toll road speed limit to 85 mph, the fastest in the nation. "The idea was that drivers could drop the top, drop the hammer, crank the music and fly right past Austin," says Wade Goodyn. "It's a beautiful, wide-open highway — but it's empty, and the builders are nearly bankrupt."

 
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  • (Score: 2) by McGruber on Tuesday December 02 2014, @03:23PM

    by McGruber (3038) on Tuesday December 02 2014, @03:23PM (#121877)

    Here in SC they built a toll road that run between Rt 85 and Rt 385, cutting about 20 minutes travel time if you went the regular route to where they connect. That 10 mile piece of tar and concrete costs a driver over $2.50 to drive the whole route. If you have a trailer, $3.00, a double axel, $5.00. They wonder why no one uses it?

    When I drive from Atlanta to Columbia or the SC coast, I avoid the I-185 toll road because it is shorter (and quicker) for me to take the two lane wide Routes 8 and 418 connection between Interstate-85 to Interstate-385.

    (Apparently those SC toll-road investors never heard of Google Maps or Garmin!)

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  • (Score: 2) by bucc5062 on Tuesday December 02 2014, @08:42PM

    by bucc5062 (699) on Tuesday December 02 2014, @08:42PM (#121995)

    As do I though when hauling horses, I'd love to stay highway the whole trip to Anderson (for a smooth drive). I also take 418/8 and every now and then I get a yahoo who loves to hit quick brakes, but still better than the fleecing 185 gives.

    --
    The more things change, the more they look the same