LOCKHART, Texas (AP) - A 40-mile stretch of a Central Texas toll road opens this week with officials and residents watching to see how fast traffic goes - and whether the state's drivers can handle the extra speed.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that a 40-mile stretch of Texas Highway 130 will open Wednesday with the nation's highest speed limit: 85 mph. That's led to predictions that drivers used to going faster than speed limits will routinely hit 100 mph.
State officials say they're not worried about increased danger. 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 says that Texans will have to learn "how to drive these safer speeds."
Information from: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, http://www.star-telegram.com
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