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Old 05-19-2014, 09:01 PM
 
19,569 posts, read 17,845,257 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by First24 View Post
The highways problems in other cities have nothing to do with the here and now in DFW. I hope the OP is upset enough to contact the powers that be and makes them better aware of the bad road conditions on several area highways.

Example; I-35 northbound between I-635 & 121 towards Lewisville is awful! Pits and potholes everywhere.
No .gov authority is going to spend money, short of truly dangerous issues, fixing a road that is slated to be replaced completely in a couple of years.
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Old 05-19-2014, 09:04 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Saintmarks View Post
Some odd complaints on what I would regard as one of the best Expressway systems in the nation. People seem to complain that the traffic is worse in wherever they are at the time and was better back where they came from. Totally illogical complaints.

Complaining about 35E and 35W is really odd. That designation came from the Interstate Highway System, not a local designation. Look at it on a map. I-35 splits at Hillsboro and comes back together at Denton. The western split goes through Fort Worth and is labeled 35W, the eastern split goes through Dallas and is labeled 35E. What is so difficult to comprehend about that?

There are some design flaws I don't like. I don't like the inconsistency in the frontage road rules. On the SRT, there are times when the frontage road (and the frontage road is Texas 121, the tolled part is the SRT) there are inconsistencies... some places the exit/entrance ramps get a designated lane, sometimes they merge directly onto the frontage road. Some places the frontage road goes from 3 to 2 lanes and the exit off the SRT becomes the new 3rd lane. Some places the U turns at intersections will have a yield sign when you make the U to join the oppoiste direction frontage road, sometimes the U turn will get its own lane on the frontage road and their is no yielding. This inconsistency will lead to accidents.

And one last flaw about the SRT/121 system that I have seen lead to several accidents, but it is in the way the traffic lights are timed on the frontage roads. If you are on a cross street to the SRT (take Coit for instance) and are coming south in Frisco and wanting to go straight under the SRT into Plano staying on Coit, you come first to the set of lights for south bound frontage road. If you catch it red, you can see under the SRT and see the next set of lights for northbound 121 frontage road. The dangerous thing is the far set of lights will turn green first before the ones right in front of you turn. I have witnessed more than one accident when the first driver at the light will see the far set of lights turn green and think the light he is stopped at is turning green and proceed into the path of a car approaching from his left. This could be solved by changing the timing on the lights or by putting up the guards or the type of lights that don't reveal the color until you get close.
Correct. The freeway system here is fantastic. Anyone who thinks otherwise should spend a few days driving around Atlanta, San Francisco or Washington DC.
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Old 05-19-2014, 10:16 PM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
2,169 posts, read 5,156,080 times
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And everyone here who thinks DFW drivers are the worst needs to spend some time on the roads in South Florida.
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Old 05-19-2014, 10:17 PM
 
390 posts, read 712,745 times
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The I-35E and I-35W split isn't unique to DFW. You have the same thing through the Twin Cities, with I-35E going through Saint Paul and I-35W going through Minneapolis.
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Old 05-19-2014, 11:26 PM
 
19,569 posts, read 17,845,257 times
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Originally Posted by TrueDat View Post
And everyone here who thinks DFW drivers are the worst needs to spend some time on the roads in South Florida.
That too.
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Old 05-19-2014, 11:57 PM
 
57 posts, read 85,213 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EDS_ View Post
Correct. The freeway system here is fantastic. Anyone who thinks otherwise should spend a few days driving around Atlanta, San Francisco or Washington DC.
I have had no problems navigating San Francisco or Washington, D.C. the several times I have been to both cities. I highly prefer driving in Los Angeles (even in rush hour) than DFW. Clearly YMMV.

One of the many things that perplexes me are the surface street routes which are much faster than taking the freeway here. I know a colleague who lives in Allen, and I can get to her house from mine in Richardson in about 15 minutes if I take surface streets. If I take 75, it's at least a half hour, usually more. There is usually not much difference in mileage, so why is the freeway route less efficient?

I find the short entrance/exit ramps (especially on 75), insufficient signage (or perhaps drivers who cannot plan their route effectively), and universally poor accident management to be some of the biggest problems with navigating DFW.

I fail to appreciate the frontage road system, and find it awfully inefficient to either drive past your intended destination to U-turn and backtrack, or to take the nearest exit and hope you can navigate the side streets that run parallel to the service road to get where you are going.
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Old 05-20-2014, 06:37 AM
 
28,601 posts, read 18,634,196 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ExAstris View Post
I fail to appreciate the frontage road system, and find it awfully inefficient to either drive past your intended destination to U-turn and backtrack, or to take the nearest exit and hope you can navigate the side streets that run parallel to the service road to get where you are going.
I've never seen any controlled access highway that didn't make such things necessary. That's what "controlled access" means.
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Old 05-20-2014, 06:49 AM
 
28,601 posts, read 18,634,196 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EDS_ View Post
Correct. The freeway system here is fantastic. Anyone who thinks otherwise should spend a few days driving around Atlanta, San Francisco or Washington DC.
Washington DC.

I remember driving from Bolling AFB to the Pentagon one morning in DC back in the late 80s. I had just gone over the 11th st bridge and was on the the SE Freeway, having just made the big turn to the west, right about where it crosses over 8th st.

Apparenly only moments earlier, a section of the raised highway had just dropped right in front of me at one of the expansion joints. I was in the far left lane, and the drop was about three inches--I hit it like hitting a low curb--WHAM, dang that hurt!

But it had dropped at an angle, and in the right lane the drop was close to a foot. I heard something like a crash behind me and looked up at my rear view mirror to the car that was behind me and to my right. I saw that guy skidding to a stop...sparks spewing out behind him. I looked further back and saw his rear wheels and axle rolling backwards behind him.

He was having a really bad morning, to say the least.

I used to listen to the radio each morning for the pothole reports. Sometimes yawning, automobile-crippling potholes would just open up anywhere in the city. "We have a report of a new pothole at 16th and C SE. It has already disabled four automobiles, so avoid that area of the city."
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Old 05-20-2014, 07:46 AM
 
5,253 posts, read 6,360,058 times
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People complaining about tolls is funny. They are totally willing to pay $25,000+ for a car that sits in a parking lot 22 hours a day, and are totally willing to live as far as possible from work which necessitates driving on a highway daily and not just on surface streets, but a dollar every 2-3 miles for a road is 'excessive'.
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Old 05-20-2014, 07:49 AM
 
Location: DFW
40,931 posts, read 48,959,201 times
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The I-35 project is about to start from Denton through Downtown Dallas. From what I hear it's about 3 phases and will take 10-15 years.

Enjoy the commute.
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