I was driving in the panhandle a year or two ago and it was literally about 20 minutes since I saw the last vehicle, so my speed crept up to about 90 in a 60 mpg road. Flat as a pancake. OHP pulled me over, told me he knows the road is flat but just to ease back a little bit and be careful. Think he just gave me a verbal warning. It’s no-man’s land.

There is a fairly busy 2-lane highway in the Texas Panhandle I've done a few times that is posted at 75 mph. If it was dead I'd probably be doing 85, but with a decent about of on coming traffic 75 bothers me a bit. Although it is straight and flat, I'm just get worried about someone texting.

In the 1980s a powerful legislator from southern Oklahoma refused to authorize any turnpike expansion unless one was built through his district. Behold the 13 mile, two lane Chickasaw Turnpike which the OTA never wanted, but had to build. With a 70 mph speed limit but no center barrier or cable system, it was initially nicknamed the "Oklahoma Supercollider."

Lonnie Abbott (D-Ada)

Lonnie Abbott (D-Ada)

Thank you for recalling his name. And as you’d expect, there is a Lonnie Abbott Boulevard in Ada. Thank heavens for term limits!

Speed limits will be going up over the next several months on multiple interstates and turnpikes:

https://www.ok.gov/triton/modules/newsroom/newsroom_article.php?id=277&article_id=60961

https://www.odot.org/newsmedia/press/2020/20-019-Speed-limits-ODOT-system-approved-map_web.jpg

https://www.ok.gov/triton/modules/newsroom/newsroom_article.php?id=277&article_id=60721

Various turnpikes will see an increase to 80 MPH and the OTA hinted at even more speed limit increases in the future.

My reading of this is you have road rage. Basically you are saying everyone must do what you say. Other than rush hour the left lane is for passing. If you can’t pass in a reasonable time then stay in right lane. The law was passed strictly for left lane huggers who actually make traffic more dangerous by going only speed limit and stacking up traffic. Let the cops worry about speeders its not the publics job to police. Some drivers look for confrontation by intentionally plugging up left lane to slow drivers down. Its a simple law, stay in right lane other than passing. Passing means you have to go faster than the car you are trying to get by.

What I find more common is cars who speed up by as mich as 10mph as you try to pass them.

I have observed that on rural 4 lane hiways like l35 to Dallas, where traffic can be heavy, the right lane only except to pass almost works backwards to it's intent. Driver's just camp out in the left because they are passing other cars occasionally but think they'll get caught in the right lane when they do move over.

The H.E. Bailey Turnpike Spur (Bridge Creek to Blanchard and Newcastle) is now posted at 80.
https://i.imgur.com/IZ55loG.jpg

The H.E. Bailey Turnpike Spur (Bridge Creek to Blanchard and Newcastle) is now posted at 80.
https://i.imgur.com/IZ55loG.jpg

Guess this also bumped the minimum to 60 up from 55. I didn’t think about that changing as well

I-40 west of the metro was posted at 75 yesterday.

The H.E. Bailey Turnpike Spur (Bridge Creek to Blanchard and Newcastle) is now posted at 80.I wish the HE Bailey was 80 and not just the Spur. But most of it to Chickasha is under construction right now, so I doubt they'd do that. But they could still do Chickasha to Lawton. Lawton to the Texas line is in horrible shape, IIRC.

the finished widened section of the turner is now posted at 80 as well

I wish the HE Bailey was 80 and not just the Spur. But most of it to Chickasha is under construction right now, so I doubt they'd do that. But they could still do Chickasha to Lawton. Lawton to the Texas line is in horrible shape, IIRC.

Over on AARoads we've been discussing which sections of turnpike got moved up to 80 and why, and we can't make heads or tails of it. It's not roadway design (or the Indian Nation wouldn't qualify), it's not traffic volume (or the Turner wouldn't qualify), and it's not recent reconstruction (or otherwise the H.E. Bailey between the spur and the Newcastle would be 80).

My only guess is they are going off of a speed study, and only upping the limit when 85% of the traffic is already going 80. (This "85th percentile speed" factors into a lot of speed limit calculations when there are not other considerations that take precedence.)

Over on AARoads we've been discussing which sections of turnpike got moved up to 80 and why, and we can't make heads or tails of it. It's not roadway design (or the Indian Nation wouldn't qualify), it's not traffic volume (or the Turner wouldn't qualify), and it's not recent reconstruction (or otherwise the H.E. Bailey between the spur and the Newcastle would be 80).

My only guess is they are going off of a speed study, and only upping the limit when 85% of the traffic is already going 80. (This "85th percentile speed" factors into a lot of speed limit calculations when there are not other considerations that take precedence.)

i was told the turner (new section only) is because the other sections are going to be under construction a bunch in the next 15 years (and have massive traffic count)

and as the other parts get upgraded the speed limit will change ..