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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."
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday December 03 2014, @12:58AM
Really? Extortion? Who's making you use the toll road, you could just take all the surface roads around it instead, but then you're driving slow, waiting at traffic lights, etc.
You sir, are sadly misinformed.
Many states are converting US Interstate highways [www.ssti.us] (long since paid for by tax dollars) into toll roads. They are using a special exemption [dot.gov] in Title 23 to get around the general prohibition on the imposition of tolls on Federal-aid highways.
These are roads your parents paid for. Roads your gas tax is supposed to maintain.
Alternate routes generally don't exist or are simply too long or too slow, and that isn't by accident. It is precisely those locations that are ripe for tolling. Its happening in almost every state.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.