Texas May Boost Some Highway Speed Limits to 85-mph

The Texas House has given final approval to a bill that could raise the speed limit on some highways to 85 mph, the Associated Press reported.

The state’s Senate is considering a similar bill, which would make the state’s speed limit the highest in the nation, AP said.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, won initial approval April 6 and is part of a larger transportation bill that was approved the next day,

It would authorize the Texas Department of Transportation to raise the speed limit on designated lanes or entire stretches of roadway after doing engineering and traffic studies, AP reported.

Texas currently has more than 500 miles of interstate highways where the speed limit is 80 mph. Critics have raised safety and fuel-saving concerns, AP said.