Texas To Begin Changing Speed Limits Whenever They Feel Like It

You drove to work on I-10 and the speed limit was 60mph, going back home that evening, it had been dropped to 50mph. WTH?

That's a scenario that will become possible after September 1st as Texas lawmakers recently voted in favor of "variable speed limits" by passing House Bill 1885.

Drivers, except for most El Pasoans, typically slow down anyway when conditions get bad. Now, everybody will HAVE to.

House Bill 1885, signed into law this June, empowers local Texas Department of Transportation engineers — without approval from the statewide transportation commissioners — to temporarily change speed limits for a portion of a road or highway. The variable speed limit can be applied during roadway construction and maintenance, as well as inclement weather conditions like heavy fog, ice or rain. - texastribune

Initial attempts to pass this bill struggled or completely failed because everyone suspected that is wasn't about safety as much as a ploy to set up speed traps.

According to Sen. Robert Nichols, after doing a better job of "educating" the lawmakers, the bill passed both chambers of the house easily. (99 - 47)

So far, I haven't found any info on how speeding tickets would be handled if given in temporarily/recently reduced speed zones.

Local TXDoT engineers will decide if and when to reduce speed limits without the need to get permission from statewide commissioners.

Changes could be announced in a number of ways. For example, via the TXDoT signs already in place, mobile signs mounted on trailers or new signs could be placed over existing ones.