The Texas Legislature passed a law last year that allowed speed limits of up to 85 mph on newly constructed highways that were determined to be safe enough to allow such speeds.

Texas and Utah are currently the only states with speed limits of 80 mph.

The 85-mph speed limit would be the fastest posted maximum in the Western Hemisphere and the second fastest in the world, according to Rhino Car Hire, a European car rental company. It said a speed of 140 kilometers per hour, or about 86 mph, is posted on some roads in Poland.