All depends on day/time of day. Having to first drive beyond Seguin on 10 is less than ideal and doesn't best serve the purpose. Seguin is well out of the way and 10 is highly congested too to that point as it's mostly 2 lanes each direction, and trucks and slow drivers camp in the left lane. By the time you get to the toll road, you would be half way between New Braunfels and San Marcos. If you're just going to by-pass Austin you can drive 35 and pick up the toll by-pass previous to getting to Austin. Again, I'll drive it for the fun of it as at least I'll feel safer traveling at 85+ if traffic allows, but I believe the route is less than ideal as a true SA to Austin toll road. It simply never gets close enough to 35 to truly parallel it, so there's no where to pick it up en route no matter where you live in SA. It will be 20 miles further from downtown SA. That's a lot of miles to make up. Ideally it should have picked up SA on the north side and crossed over 35 at some point. I'm sure they did what was best considering land cost/availability.

 

If Texas would enforce trucks not using the far left lane life on Texas interstate roads would be a lot better. Trucks here drive at unsafe speeds, litter roads with tire carcasses, and mostly drive in the far left lane to avoid constantly adjusting speed, therefore plugging up the lane for vehicles desiring to drive faster. It's a very inconsiderate state when it comes to traffic. It goes against my mentality to pass on the right, but here it's required if you desire to get out into some clean air.

 

The company building 130 paid a $100 million bonus to get 85 as the limit if they had set the limit at 80, the bonus would have only been $67 million - 5mph = $23 million, good deal.

 

There are many areas in TX, where signs are posted "Left lanes for passing only," but these seem to be largely ignored. It would be nice to see enforcement of this as well as trucks in 3-4 lane stretches not being in the passing lane at all. "Gator skins" are all over the roads in TX, AR, and I imagine quite a few other states as well in summer especially, and they ain't lightweight, either. A friend rolled over one on the highway at 65MPH and really damaged his Nissan Altima. I've nearly been killed on my bike trying to avoid them.

 

85 mph would be useless in NY. There would still be the 45 mph idiot in the left lane.

 

Don't know about Austin, but the drivers here in Dallas are not ready for an increase in the speed limits. Skill set and judgement is just not there yet. I'm considering a on-board camera just to record all the stupid sh*t I witness people doing. Also too many uninsured drivers and people operating unsafe vehicles (e.g. un-roadworthy beaters, crown vics w/oversized dubs, raised pick-ups, etc.). Sounds good at first but upon reflection, I'll pass (figuratively).