A question about the condition of streets (Houston, Dallas: neighborhoods, university)

[tropicsboy2000]

Almost wherever I drive in Houston, it seems that the streets are really bad. There are numerous bumps, uneven surfaces, and sometimes even potholes. My 2010 Honda Civic sometimes feels as if it is about to come apart. The situation is pretty bad.

Please don't get me wrong Houstonians. I love and respect my adopted city but why are the streets in this condition?

[7ry1an3]

lol you've never been to SA or The Valley have you? Some of Houstons streets aren't great, but your car will actually start to fall apart in these places. When i was living in SA i had to constantly re-tighten all the bolt-ons on my camaro and had to get suspension and wheel repair due to the pot holes and road conditions there.

[modster]

It's the soil here for one. The clay soil rises and falls with the amount of rainfall, and the concrete streets just don't hold up.

The city has budget woes as well, so it is hard for them to keep up.

[tstone]

A Honda Civic will rattle you even on a good road.

[DanielWayne]

Originally Posted by tstone

A Honda Civic will rattle you even on a good road.

Yep! No lie!

I went to get a 5 dollar crunch box at Taco Bell for lunch, and had to wait for a 1990 Honda Civic to slowly park because his car sat too low to drive normally over an incline. Shoulda seen the tailpipe, too. 2 dudes getting out of a car near him were laughing the whole way in to the Bell.

[RocketSci]

Originally Posted by modster

It's the soil here for one. The clay soil rises and falls with the amount of rainfall, and the concrete streets just don't hold up.

The city has budget woes as well, so it is hard for them to keep up.

According to the Texas Transportation Institute Urban Mobility Report, Houston also has among the highest lane-miles per capita of any city, meaning that there are fewer taxpayers per mile available to pay for road maintenance. For comparison:
- Houston - 361 residents per mile
- Dallas/Ft Worth - 390
- Atlanta - 421
- Los Angeles - 496
- Las Vegas - 536
- New York City - 697

Some smaller denser communities (Bellaire, West University, Sugarland etc) ARE able to properly size and maintain streets, so it can be done.

And finally, the rapid growth of Houston means that new neighborhoods regularly exceed the capacity of existing roadways, and the end result is that it may be decades before proper roadways are constructed on heavily used streets.

[vwgto]

Worst U.S. roads I have ever seen where they are not dealing with snow/ice. The contrast in the Medical Center area always amazes, when you think about all of the $ spent there - - yet the city can't even provide passable streets.

[elnina]

Didn't we beat this topic to death already?
Have questions or thoughts - please read here
Why can't Houston's roads be one color???
What, in your day-to-day experience, are Houston's worst local roads, in terms of potholes and uneven surfaces?
Houston Roads & Highway System

[HoustonRonnie]

Elnina: It's Houston. Live with it.

Ronnie

[vegankris]

I find the roads easier to deal with on a bike rather than in a car. This is why I almost exclusively ride a bike in Houston rather than drive.