FM 2243 Speed Limit Lowered Below 55 MPH During Road Work

LEANDER, TX -- As that famous philosopher, Sammy Hagar, once said: “I can’t drive 55.”

But in Leander, motorists will have to drive below that after council members voted to lower speed limits on Old FM 2243 as the roadway is widened.

At their last regular meeting, Leander City Council members voted to lower the 55 mph speed limit on the roadway temporarily while construction is occurring, Hill Country News reports.

Speed limits include a 45 mph on the stretch of road between Bagdad Road and 1,000 feet west of Lakeline Boulevard. Another portion will be lowered to 35 mph between U.S. 183 and Bagdad Road.

City engineer Wayne Watts originally believed the road work could proceed without altering the speed limits. But work crews reported drivers were traveling in marked construction zones at dangerously elevated speeds, the paper reports.

The new speed limits took effect Feb. 4, but signs were installed three days before.

“They were posted early so drivers would know sooner about the lower limits,” Hill Country News quoted Watts as saying.

Motorists not adhering to the new speed limits could face steep fines between $50 and $200. The level of fines grows if speeding infractions take place in zones where construction workers are present -- from $100 to $400.

Work on the roadway began Jan. 4. The farm-to-market road is being widened from two lanes to four, with a center turn lane. The paper notes that new lanes will be built atop existing drainage ditches, transforming them into storm sewers.

The road work is expected to take 18 months to complete.