I love Texas highways but I hate their work zones (Houston: how much, compensation)

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

They have been working somewhere on I-35 between San Antonio and Dallas ever since at least 1976, when I first started coming to Austin.

It can be annoying as all get out trying to get thru a work zone and tge teaffic's backed up as far as tge eye can see, barely moving, if moving at all. But I'm glad the State is onstantly trying to improve I-35. Imagine what it would be like if they hadn't done any road improvements to I-35 in 40 years.

In South Austin, they been working on Wm Cannon and Stassney exits for years. Once they get them done, they"ll be real nice.The traffic on Northbound frontage road at light on Wm Cannon already moves quite a bit faster with a double left. Before, it could to take up to 4 light changes to get on to Wm Cannon

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

They have been working somewhere on I-35 between San Antonio and Dallas ever since at least 1976, when I first started coming to Austin.

It can be annoying as all get out trying to get thru a work zone and tge teaffic's backed up as far as tge eye can see, barely moving, if moving at all. But I'm glad the State is onstantly trying to improve I-35. Imagine what it would be like if they hadn't done any road improvements to I-35 in 40 years.

In South Austin, they been working on Wm Cannon and Stassney exits for years. Once they get them done, they"ll be real nice.The traffic on Northbound frontage road at light on Wm Cannon already moves quite a bit faster with a double left. Before, it could to take up to 4 light changes to get on to Wm Cannon

I first rode on I35 when we were bringing my sister to college at Southwestern in Georgetown when it was first being built in 1957. I've lived in Dallas, my husband grew up in San Antonio, we met in Austin when attending UT and have had family in both. In all that time I have NEVER been on I35 when there was not construction on it somewhere (and usually construction on it in Temple for some reason). So it has been under construction somewhere between Dallas and San Antonio for 62 years that I personally know of.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

They have been working somewhere on I-35 between San Antonio and Dallas ever since at least 1976, when I first started coming to Austin.

It can be annoying as all get out trying to get thru a work zone and tge teaffic's backed up as far as tge eye can see, barely moving, if moving at all. But I'm glad the State is onstantly trying to improve I-35. Imagine what it would be like if they hadn't done any road improvements to I-35 in 40 years.

In South Austin, they been working on Wm Cannon and Stassney exits for years. Once they get them done, they"ll be real nice.The traffic on Northbound frontage road at light on Wm Cannon already moves quite a bit faster with a double left. Before, it could to take up to 4 light changes to get on to Wm Cannon

J/W was it the same projects that they have been doing to widen it to 3 lanes each way or just different incremental upgrades at a time?

IMO I-35 needs a sister toll road between Austin and DFW. i kinda wish they could extend TX-130 from its current terminus at I-35, NW to Killeen, staying west of Temple and Waco and remeeting I-35 in Hillsboro at the I-35E / I-35W interchange, keep the speed limit atleast 80. I would definitely pay (even $20+) to bypass Waco. Maybe extend Chilsholm Trail Pkwy to 130 near Hillsboro as well.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

J/W was it the same projects that they have been doing to widen it to 3 lanes each way or just different incremental upgrades at a time?

IMO I-35 needs a sister toll road between Austin and DFW. i kinda wish they could extend TX-130 from its current terminus at I-35, NW to Killeen, staying west of Temple and Waco and remeeting I-35 in Hillsboro at the I-35E / I-35W interchange, keep the speed limit atleast 80. I would definitely pay (even $20+) to bypass Waco. Maybe extend Chilsholm Trail Pkwy to 130 near Hillsboro as well.

Whose land would you be willing to sacrifice for that?

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

J/W was it the same projects that they have been doing to widen it to 3 lanes each way or just different incremental upgrades at a time?

IMO I-35 needs a sister toll road between Austin and DFW. i kinda wish they could extend TX-130 from its current terminus at I-35, NW to Killeen, staying west of Temple and Waco and remeeting I-35 in Hillsboro at the I-35E / I-35W interchange, keep the speed limit atleast 80. I would definitely pay (even $20+) to bypass Waco. Maybe extend Chilsholm Trail Pkwy to 130 near Hillsboro as well.

Nah, first we need an expressway between north-north Austin and Shreveport, LA.

And I would sacrifice whatever land was in the way

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

Nah, first we need an expressway between north-north Austin and Shreveport, LA.

And I would sacrifice whatever land was in the way

This is so true. It's a pain having to go all the way up to DFW to reach I-20.

Supposedly whenever they finish I-14, it will go all the way to Macon GA. It will supposedly multiplex with I-59/I-20 until somewhere just before Tuscaloosa AL and continue directly East to Macon, but you get the option to stay on I-20.

Another thing that is needed is a tollroad between here and Houston. It blows me away that something like that doesnt exist yet.

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

J/W was it the same projects that they have been doing to widen it to 3 lanes each way or just different incremental upgrades at a time?

IMO I-35 needs a sister toll road between Austin and DFW. i kinda wish they could extend TX-130 from its current terminus at I-35, NW to Killeen, staying west of Temple and Waco and remeeting I-35 in Hillsboro at the I-35E / I-35W interchange, keep the speed limit atleast 80. I would definitely pay (even $20+) to bypass Waco. Maybe extend Chilsholm Trail Pkwy to 130 near Hillsboro as well.

Rick Perry tried to do that. 130 was originally slated to be a part of the "Trans-Texas Corridors" that do exactly what you're talking about, but the amount of eminent domain required drew entire towns to public meetings in protest. He was a little too tied up with the corporations he wanted to award contracts to and managed to draw the ire of people all over the political spectrum.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

Nah, first we need an expressway between north-north Austin and Shreveport, LA.

And I would sacrifice whatever land was in the way

So you have no problem with forcing people to sell their land for your convenience? Land that may have been in their families and being used for generations? For your convenience?

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

Rick Perry tried to do that. 130 was originally slated to be a part of the "Trans-Texas Corridors" that do exactly what you're talking about, but the amount of eminent domain required drew entire towns to public meetings in protest. He was a little too tied up with the corporations he wanted to award contracts to and managed to draw the ire of people all over the political spectrum.

This right here. There were signs on land warning those who were hired to evaluate it that the owners were armed and not afraid to use them, in essence, right down the road here.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

So you have no problem with forcing people to sell their land for your convenience? Land that may have been in their families and being used for generations? For your convenience?

Well, "they" can work around long-standing homesteads and sacred burial grounds, of course!!
The owners should be paid handsomely for their loss.
And it's not just MY convenience. Camaro would take advantage regularly, as would one or two others

We're likely to build some more highways SOMEwhere; it might as well benefit me directly
Heck, it might even improve the traffic on other main highways(35) as truckers have been known to appreciate the path of least resistance and they LOVE a good hypotenuse