Why are There are No Speed Limits Posted on This Texas Toll Road?

Texas is already home to the highest speed limit in the country, but now there's a stretch of road with NO posted speed limit at all.

I Can't Drive 55

Remember when the speed limit on U.S. Highways and Interstates was 55 miles per hour? It's been a while, but I remember driving across Texas with the family at 55 mph and thinking it would take all week to get from Louisiana to New Mexico. 55 was just way too slow.

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Fortunately the speed limit would increase over the years and here we are at 70 or 75  miles per hour in most places, and I still think it's too slow.

Pickle Parkway

Down here in the wild, wild west, Texas drivers even have a stretch of road where 85 is the posted speed limit. There's a 41-mile stretch of Texas State Highway 130 that runs between Austin and San Antonio where the speed limit is 85 miles per hour.

85 miles per hour is the actual posted speed limit, which makes it the fastest stretch of road in the country. It's known as the "Pickle Parkway." You'd think it'd have a cooler name like the Highway to Hell or something, but nope. Pickle Parkway.

No Speed Limit

Move over "Pickle Parkway", cause here comes the new 183 south toll road in Austin that has no posted speed limit. That's right - there's an 8-mile stretch on 183 with no posted speed limit and it's been that way since the toll road opened in 2021.

Rules of the Road

No posted speed limit doesn't mean you can just floor it pedal to the medal style. Texas has a default speed limit of 70 miles per hour. I know that's a bummer for everybody who thinks they are competing in the Texas 600 every time they hit the road, but just because there's no posted speed limit, it doesn't mean you can make up one for yourself.

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority has been studying the road to determine what that speed limit will eventually be.

Safety First

As fun as it would be to turn this stretch of road into the autobahn, it just wouldn't be safe. Speed limits exist for a reason - to keep people safe. Texas roads are some of the deadliest in the country, even with speed limits in place. Just because there's not one posted doesn't mean you should ignore the rules of the road and drive like a Mad Max character.