By: Robert Price
Northside drivers will soon need to pay extra attention to the speed limit on a stretch of Loop 1604 because it will constantly be changing.
This summer the Texas Department of Transportation is testing a so-called Variable Speed Limit system.
Portable electronic speed limit signs will cover a five-mile stretch of westbound Loop 1604 from 281 to I-10.
The system will use sensors to lower the speed limit based on factors like construction, traffic congestion, and weather.
TxDOT says the goal is to cut down on "stop-and-go" driving as well as rear-end collisions.
"So you're driving, and it's 65 mph on Loop 1604, and you're about to come up to congestion," says Laura Lopez of TxDOT. "Well, sometimes we don't know what the speed limit is. Sometimes we don't know that congestion is up ahead. Safety is our number one priority, and this is going to help the driver to know, they're going to have to start slowing down."
San Antonio is one of three cities testing this technology as part of a pilot program approved by the Texas legislature.
The speed limit signs will be activated next Wednesday, June 25.
