Drivers on the nation's road with the highest legal speed limit are running into high tolls and slow pigs.
On October 24, Texas opened up a 41 mile toll way that has the highest legal speed limit in America. Cars and semi-trucks can both top out at 85 mph. The toll road is hoped to alleviate crowding on Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Austin. For now, the toll road is free to all drivers, however, beginning on Veteran's Day (November 11 for you non-patriotic types) a three tier pay system will be implemented. Cars with state issued electronic toll tags will pay $6.17 to drive the 41 mile stretch, cars without the state issued tags will pay $8.21 for the full 41 miles and commercial trucks will pay in excess of 24 dollars for the 41 mile trip. The road was built with a combination of state and private funding.
The American Trucking Association (ATA) has called the toll road unsafe for truck traffic. The organization has taken the unusual step of requesting that the State of Texas lower the road's speed limit. The ATA is urging other states to not follow in Texas' example of raising speed limits. It's not clear yet if commercial truckers will use the road or not. What is clear is that high speed drivers are now encountering a slow moving obstacle that the locals have been dealing with for decades: Pigs. In the three days that the highway has been open there have been two reported accidents involving drivers hitting pigs. The bodies of three dead pigs have been found on the side of the road, so it is possible that there were some unreported collisions with pigs. I have been in a few accidents in my life (once during a nice Midwestern blizzard I hit a patch of ice and did three complete circles before spinning down an overpass embankment) but I simply cannot imagine driving into a 300 lb pig (or more) at 85 mph. I hope that Texas takes the advice of the ATA and lowers the speed limit before someone loses their life driving at a completely unreasonable rate of speed.
Comments
Nope, can't be going 85-90 if some pigs are going
to be crossing the road. They either need to stop the pigs from being able to do that, or lower the speed limit. I lived in West Germany for five years in the 80's and drove many, many times on unlimited speed limit autobahns. I remember going in two hour stretches where I drove 100-120 mph the entire time. And I remember going 120 and having cars (usually Porsches) zip past me doing 150-160. Driving in Germany is much more restricted and controlled than with laws, driver training and licensing, and I believe there are fences preventing wildlife from coming onto the autobahns in most places. They take it very seriously. Unless it's taken very seriously here, including what kind of cars are driven, who drives them, following the rules of the road, etc., then I agree, high speed limits are too dangerous in most places in this country.
Clearly they need to take down the pig crossing signs
LOL
Yep, that'll do it alrighty.
I agree
I don't have a problem with raising the speed limit, but like you said, if you're going to do then take it seriously. Driving at a speed of 90mph leaves very little reaction time.
And some of those pigs are truly Texas-sized...
...or rather Russia-sized. In the 19th Century someone thought they could make money breeding a large species of Russian pig in the Texas Hill Country, the eastern edge of which is crossed by I-35 between San Antonio and Austin.
Of course, some of these Russian boars and sows escaped, and were fruitful and multiplied. These things get HUGE. Like over four feet tall at the shoulder. Broadside one of those little piggies and it's like driving into a boulder. I know. I grew up in San Antonio and saw the aftermath more than once.
Welcome to VOTS and thanks for the comment
Thanks for reading. I had no idea that Russian boars were imported to Texas. Rarely is it a good idea to introduce new species to an area. I spent some time in the hill country when I was in the army. Loved the area. Just beautiful. Do you miss San Antonio whenever winter comes to Ohio?