Why does I-10 between Baytown and Beaumont TX have a 65 MPH Speed Limit? (Houston: how much, construction)

[Need4Camaro]

The road is flat and straight. There are a few construction zones but this entire stretch is limited to 65 MPH. Any reason?

[usc619]

Speed trap = money maker.

[rynetwo]

Climate? It is the wettest part of the state.

[Bo]

Too many big trucks? There are oil refineries in that stretch, and their volatile, flammable output is transported by trucks. Highway crashes involving fuel transports are spectacular, deadly and often horribly damaging to roads and bridges. Slower speeds lead to fewer crashes.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

The road is flat and straight. There are a few construction zones but this entire stretch is limited to 65 MPH. Any reason?

Meanwhile, there’s many 2 lane country roads (1 lane going, 1 coming) in the middle of Texas with speed limits as high as 75MPH

[CalTex Ranger]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

The road is flat and straight. There are a few construction zones but this entire stretch is limited to 65 MPH. Any reason?

Floods a ton and has a lot of commercial traffic. Same thing with I-10 through Mobile and Pensacola

[Trainwreck20]

When that road is wet, it is slick as hell. Lots of heavy industrial traffic, as well.

[wxf848]

This goes back to 2001, when state leaders were desperate for ways to reduce ozone pollution. One of the things they came up with was environmental speed limits. Speed limits of 70 were reduced to 65 and the 65 limits were reduced to 60. This was done in the Houston and DFW areas. It wasn't a good idea, and it was unlikely to have much of an effect, but they were desperate to at least appear to be trying.

The DFW environmental speed limits have been removed, which is why some of the urban freeways there have speed limits of 70, with 75 on the managed lanes. This happened because the region's leaders pushed for it. When the environmental speed limits were put in place, they were using an old model to predict how much ozone is caused by traffic. It wasn't old then, I think it was from 1995. Newer models deal with the variables differently, in part because modern vehicles produce less oxide of nitrogen pollution at higher speeds, so the lower speed limits have little effect on that type of pollution generated by today's cars. If the Southeast Texas leaders wanted to do this, they could get the studies done and get the EPA's approval and work with TxDOT to perform new speed studies, but they don't seem to be concerned with it. In the DFW area, where I am, it came down to the political leaders making the matter a priority.

[cBach]

That road floods a lot, it is in a flood plain. Just look at what happened during Harvey. Also, there are so many trucks on that route and many are carrying flammable liquids. Louisiana has similar low speeds in low lying or industrial areas.

[DabOnEm]

It went up to 75 for a while but they blamed it on accidents. It should be 70 at least.