The Brief
- Texas highways are adding electronic signs that can temporarily lower speed limits in dangerous conditions.
- The change follows a 2023 law inspired by a deadly 133-car pileup during the 2021 winter storm.
- Variable speed limit signs are now appearing on roads including I-35W in Fort Worth and U.S. 54 in El Paso.
FORT WORTH, Texas – Electronic signs displaying variable speed limits are starting to show up on highways in Texas.
The new additions are the result of legislation that was put in place largely due to a massive pileup during inclement weather in Fort Worth in 2021.
Texas variable speed limits
What we know:
The signs were allowed by a 2023 Texas law, House Bill 1885, which was written by State Rep. Terry Canales (D-Edinburg) after the 133-car pileup on I-35W in Fort Worth during 2021’s infamous winter storm. Canales told the Texas Tribune in 2023 that he believed his law could have prevented the incident.…