LOCKHART (October 21, 2012)--A 40-mile stretch of Central Texas toll road opens this week with an 85-mile-per-hour speed limit, and officials and residents watching to see how fast traffic goes and whether the state's drivers can handle the extra speed.
Some have predicted that drivers on Texas Highway 130 who are used to exceeding posted limits might routinely hit speeds of 100 miles per hour.
State officials say they're not worried about increased danger, however.
They say traffic deaths are down on some West Texas highways where the speed limits were raised.
But others are skeptical and Texas Transportation Commission member Bill Meadows said Texans will have to learn "how to drive these safer speeds."
