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82miles, 85mph, FREE, 18days & Faster w/ Videos [merged]

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Location
Austin
First Name
Greg
Last Name
Hall
The south end of Texas 130 tollway is opening up on Oct 24 and the 82miles (41 both ways) can be ridden at 85mph for free until Nov 11 (18days). Have to get on and off at Mustang Ridge to avoid any charges.

Here is the AAS article.
 
Re: 82miles, 85mph, FREE, 18days

Going by how they've handled it in the past, there will probably be reduced tolls for tag holders for a while after the 11th.
 
Re: 82miles, 85mph, FREE, 18days

If the main line tolls are like the rest of the road, it will always be free to Harleys with tour packs such that they can't see the plate from overhead.

Er, at least I've heard that...
 
Re: 82miles, 85mph, FREE, 18days

You may have read that the speed limit on the nearby (and free) 183 has been lowered to 55 MPH.

Tuesday, the day before the new section of 130 opened, I was on 183 heading to Austin.

The flow was about 65, so that's what I was doing. Happened to look over at a sign on the adjacent toll road, warning of a curve coming up and the speed at which you should take that curve.

70....that's right, slow down to 70 for the curve!


Anyway, the new part of 130 opened yesterday and I took a 7 mile portion of it in the afternoon. Very nice, had it all to myself.
 
Re: 82miles, 85mph, FREE, 18days

And the Camaro too! Yeah, those put a smile on my face.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaJ3w_fAdoI&feature=share&list=ULoaJ3w_fAdoI"]Hennessey ZL1 Camaro Runs 203.9 MPH on Texas Toll Road - YouTube[/ame]
 
Re: 82miles, 85mph, FREE, 18days

I have one question: is Hennessey hiring? :rider:

Always wanted to go take a look at their facilites, just never have.
 
Re: 82miles, 85mph, FREE, 18days

Hey! I was working that day, didn't see them in Travis County. I guess the small stretch that is 85mph that IS in Travis County isn't enough to hit those speeds. And it's in Mustang Ridge. They'll stop you for going 2mph over.
 

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There appears to be another type of HOG on the 85mph toll road. :eek2:

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/drivers-hit-wild-hogs-on-sh-130?hpt=us_bn8

Four crashes on first night toll road opens

Updated: Friday, 26 Oct 2012, 11:16 AM CDT
Published : Thursday, 25 Oct 2012, 10:33 PM CDT

LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) - High speeds and wild hogs on the newly opened stretch of State Highway 130 made for a dangerous combination the very first night the road was open.

Four crashes between vehicles and hogs were reported to authorities. Three were in the Lockhart city limits and a fourth was in Caldwell County.
 
That doesn't matter. The state got it's money for making the limit 85 instead of 80, no backsies now. I stopped a guy in the 80mph section yesterday that told me "85" when I asked him what the speed limit was. Didn't matter that he had passed numerous signs posted 80mph as the limit. Folks are just clueless. These speeds will get people seriously injured and killed, especially when they think it's OK to go 10 over. These people are driving vehicles they have no experience to handle should a tire blow out at those speeds. There is debris all over the toll road. I know because I routinely stop to remove a lot of the larger stuff.
 
Latest news has the dead hog body count climbing with a couple deer thrown in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
That doesn't matter. The state got it's money for making the limit 85 instead of 80, no backsies now. I stopped a guy in the 80mph section yesterday that told me "85" when I asked him what the speed limit was. Didn't matter that he had passed numerous signs posted 80mph as the limit. Folks are just clueless. These speeds will get people seriously injured and killed, especially when they think it's OK to go 10 over. These people are driving vehicles they have no experience to handle should a tire blow out at those speeds. There is debris all over the toll road. I know because I routinely stop to remove a lot of the larger stuff.

What do you believe the maximum safe highway speed is, given optimal roadway and driving conditions? (e.g. no debris, no rain, no visibility impairment, etc.)
 
What do you believe the maximum safe highway speed is, given optimal roadway and driving conditions? (e.g. no debris, no rain, no visibility impairment, etc.)

Obviously the max safe speed in ideal conditions is beyond the recorded 220+mph.
 
That's your opinion- Dave.TX's seems to diverge, to where he believes 80 is an unsafe speed in ideal conditions. I'm just curious to know where his limit is.

No, it's a fact seen in the posted story and videos. Fella does 220 and doesn't die the flaming death. Car didn't spontaneously explode. 220+ seems to be legit.

I can't speak to other's opinions, just the facts.
 
No, it's a fact seen in the posted story and videos. Fella does 220 and doesn't die the flaming death. Car didn't spontaneously explode. 220+ seems to be legit.

I can't speak to other's opinions, just the facts.

220 in a high performance car with a professional driver and 0 traffic, sure.
 
85 seems like a good speed limit for wide open roads--sure there is a greater risk of an accident and more likelyhood of injury at those speeds, but like everything in life, its a trade off. We weigh the risks every time we hop on a motorcycle by choosing how much and what type of protective clothing to wear.

I understand the trepidation voiced by law enforcement offices and EMS techs because they deal with the aftermath.
 
85 is easily safe. IF the driver has a clue, the vehicle is properly maintained, isn't jacked-up with 37in mud tires, not on the phone, etc.

Your average car will be fine at 85. Most pickups and SUVs will be fine assuming they're not setup for off-road use.
18-wheelers will handle 85 fine, but their stopping distance will suffer (as will all vehicles)

Is this enough reason to keep the speed limit at 70 or lower? Not in my opinion, but it's probably a good reason to not make it any higher.
 
My bike drinks enough gas and wears out rear tires fast enough at 70, so I'm in no hurry to drive that highway just to go 85, especially since that road doesn't go anywhere I need to go.
My experience is that going 80 or 85 on the superslab is just as boring as 70, just less comfortable.
Why do you want to get a motorcycle ride over with as soon as possible anyway.
 
220 in a high performance car with a professional driver and 0 traffic, sure.
Yep. IDEAL conditions. Now with other traffic, speed differentials, etc, 220 probably isn't a good idea. My minivan is not capable of going anywhere close to that speed, so having a posted speed limit beyond the realm of everyday traveling vehicles does not make sense.

Of course, Autobahn-type scenarios can work, they just require a very different rule- and mind- set than what is seen in drivers here.
 
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