Who's responsible for these DFW freeways and who can I write a complaint to? (Dallas: house, to live)

[FivePercenter]

I agree with a lot of what has been said. It seems as though whoever made these freeways either didn't have their brain turned on or didn't know what they were doing. Many of the signs are entirely too small for freeways that have a speed limit of 65 MPH which makes it easy to miss your off ramp, when you miss your off ramp you're taking that ride in the wrong direction for the next 15 minutes sometimes because there aren't any other off ramps. I would take driving in LA over Dallas any day of the week.

Another thing I had to get use to is 35E and 35W...Anyone with a brain who's been driving for any length of time generally will agree that E on a freeway stands for East...and W stands for West. Both 35E and 35W go north and south...After I looked at a map while wondering to myself why would anyone do this, it came to me that the E must mean because it's on the east side of the DFW metroplex and the W on the west side...but common really? If you're not use to that loose terminology, it's easy to get lost.

Also too, what's up with the way 121 and 114 clash into one another? And what about how 635 EAST changes with little or no warning into 20 WEST...there's all these weird little intersections and off ramps and twistings and turnings all over DFW that make it impossible to get around smoothly unless you've been living in DFW a long time...My GPS even get's it wrong a lot of the time.

I can't remember who said that all these tolls aren't ridiculous and that they're necessary but I'm too lazy to find the specific most, but yes...all these tollways are ridiculous and making people pay to drive on this garbage is even more ridiculous. Within a 50 mile span there's like 4 tollways, how in the world is that not excessive? Driving from Sacramento to San Francisco (About 90 miles) there is one tollway, and that is to help maintain the bridge, which is understandable. In King County, Washington State (Which like Texas doesn't have state tax) there is one tollway going east to west from Bellevue to Seattle and visa versa, again you're driving over a bridge. What are all the tollways in Dallas helping to maintain? Except all the corrupt politicians pockets and condos that is.

These freeways are bad, and while I'm having my say the food here is unimpressive if you want your dining away from home experience to consist of anything other than steak or ribs. Every other genre of food here I have found to be disappointing and subpar.

[VegasMan_72]

Originally Posted by FivePercenter

I agree with a lot of what has been said. It seems as though whoever made these freeways either didn't have their brain turned on or didn't know what they were doing. Many of the signs are entirely too small for freeways that have a speed limit of 65 MPH which makes it easy to miss your off ramp, when you miss your off ramp you're taking that ride in the wrong direction for the next 15 minutes sometimes because there aren't any other off ramps. I would take driving in LA over Dallas any day of the week.

Another thing I had to get use to is 35E and 35W...Anyone with a brain who's been driving for any length of time generally will agree that E on a freeway stands for East...and W stands for West. Both 35E and 35W go north and south...After I looked at a map while wondering to myself why would anyone do this, it came to me that the E must mean because it's on the east side of the DFW metroplex and the W on the west side...but common really? If you're not use to that loose terminology, it's easy to get lost.

Also too, what's up with the way 121 and 114 clash into one another? And what about how 635 EAST changes with little or no warning into 20 WEST...there's all these weird little intersections and off ramps and twistings and turnings all over DFW that make it impossible to get around smoothly unless you've been living in DFW a long time...My GPS even get's it wrong a lot of the time.

I can't remember who said that all these tolls aren't ridiculous and that they're necessary but I'm too lazy to find the specific most, but yes...all these tollways are ridiculous and making people pay to drive on this garbage is even more ridiculous. Within a 50 mile span there's like 4 tollways, how in the world is that not excessive? Driving from Sacramento to San Francisco (About 90 miles) there is one tollway, and that is to help maintain the bridge, which is understandable. In King County, Washington State (Which like Texas doesn't have state tax) there is one tollway going east to west from Bellevue to Seattle and visa versa, again you're driving over a bridge. What are all the tollways in Dallas helping to maintain? Except all the corrupt politicians pockets and condos that is.

These freeways are bad, and while I'm having my say the food here is unimpressive if you want your dining away from home experience to consist of anything other than steak or ribs. Every other genre of food here I have found to be disappointing and subpar.

It is such an ignorant post that probably doesn't need a response. The Freeway signs are mandated by Federal regulations and guidelines (MUTCD) in the entire country.
Anone who's been driving for any length of time would know that Even numbered freeways/interstate highways run East-West and Odd numbered freeways run North-South.
No, tollways are not excessive here. I'm saying that and I come from the State with ZERO toll roads (Nevada). The States are left with no choice when Federal Highway Trust Fund is running dry. If you don't want tolls, let's raise fuel tax or implement VMT.
You are not going to make any friends here with this sh*** attitude. You may be better off going back to CA.

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by FivePercenter

Another thing I had to get use to is 35E and 35W...Anyone with a brain who's been driving for any length of time generally will agree that E on a freeway stands for East...and W stands for West. Both 35E and 35W go north and south...After I looked at a map while wondering to myself why would anyone do this, it came to me that the E must mean because it's on the east side of the DFW metroplex and the W on the west side...but common really? If you're not use to that loose terminology, it's easy to get lost.

You need to understand the federal Interstate nomenclature.

An Interstate highway with endpoints that are mostly east-west of one another must be even-numbered; An Interstate with endpoints that are mostly north-south of one another must be odd-numbered.

Thus, Interstate 35, which begins in Laredo, TX and ends in Duluth, MN, is odd-numbered.

Further, those highways which are city bypasses or beltways connecting a federal Interstate must be numbered as an offshoot of the Interstate, thus where I-35 is joined by a bypass or beltway around any city on its route, that bypass will be numbered in a fashion like "35-something" or "something-35."

In the case of 35E and 35W, that's a bit unusual numbering, but it makes since because as you note, "35E" is I-35 running east of the city and "35W" is I-35 running west of the city. It actually makes more sense than the "235" or "435" or "535" you run into as it goes north through other cities.

[MStreetClassics]

Are you really complaining about the distance between exits? Please go take a drive on the East Coast then come back and talk to me. I missed an exit in Philly one time and literally had to drive 25 miles before the next exit. This was in an urban area.

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

Originally Posted by FivePercenter

...and while I'm having my say the food here is unimpressive if you want your dining away from home experience to consist of anything other than steak or ribs. Every other genre of food here I have found to be disappointing and subpar.

Well, just bless your heart!

[FivePercenter]

The freeways here suck.

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

Originally Posted by FivePercenter

The freeways here suck.

Opinion noted and logged. Moving on.....

[Tamara0914]

I agree that the toll roads do seem to be slightly excessive at certain points, but overall I don't think it's an issue. I lived on the East Coast my whole life and honestly the price of the tolls here on DNT are minimal compared to what you pay when you use your EZ Pass back East. SO, I don't find it that bad here. I DO in fact love that the the highways here are higher speed than anything I was used to. Aside from rush hour.. it is a very smooth ride from where I'm at near the Galleria, up to Frisco where my family is.

I do however agree with anyone and everyone who said that the condition of some of the highways needs to be addressed, some of them really are awful.

[Saintmarks]

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.

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by Made_it_To_the_Metroplex

Well, just bless your heart!

Heh, I know what that means.