Which Freeways Need to be Beautified? (Houston: landscaping, live, shops)

[kennyc05]

Do they still plan to reconstruct 45?

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by crone

People in Texas resent paying taxes. If you want the roads cleaned up, call your state rep. TxDot is making a political statement. You want the roadways clean, give us the money to do it.

I rarely ever hear Texans say they resent taxes for roads. Where are you hearing this?

[Dopo]

People love the feeder roads when they are full of nice looking business
What happens when those nice businesses go away and government doesn't invest in that area to keep it from turning into a ghetto? = I-45 North

[Bike4Life]

Texas has poor freeway designers who failed art classes in their youth. Feeder roads should be gone and buffered with tall green trees along the freeway. I won't miss the economic blights.

A good freeway design is I-295 from Baltimore to Washington DC or George Washington Parkway. The next best thing we have is the forgotten Memorial Parkway.

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by Bike4Life

Texas has poor freeway designers who failed art classes in their youth. Feeder roads should be gone and buffered with tall green trees along the freeway. I won't miss the economic blights.

Freeways are designed for transit of motor vehicles not art.

Feeder roads allow people easy access to business.

[timtemtym]

45 the Gulf Freeway was the first freeway in Texas and pioneered that look of service roads filled with stores. Business interests will never agree to adding huge trees to cover their ugly businesses and Houston is a business city.

That being said, Houston freeways are useful! If I am driving through and need gas or a place to stop, I can see what kind of area I'm in. Here in LA and much of the country, you have beautiful trees alongside the freeway even if you're in a super shady area. I've gotten off, did a uturn and got right back on a few times.

So pretty has a price....

[Bike4Life]

Originally Posted by PedroMartinez

Freeways are designed for transit of motor vehicles not art.

Feeder roads allow people easy access to business.

That's fine, you just stay in the cookie cutter neighborhoods with big box stores to satisfy your shopaholic appetite. Some of us have luxury taste and live beyond materialistic things.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by timtemtym

45 the Gulf Freeway was the first freeway in Texas and pioneered that look of service roads filled with stores. Business interests will never agree to adding huge trees to cover their ugly businesses and Houston is a business city.

That being said, Houston freeways are useful! If I am driving through and need gas or a place to stop, I can see what kind of area I'm in. Here in LA and much of the country, you have beautiful trees alongside the freeway even if you're in a super shady area. I've gotten off, did a uturn and got right back on a few times.

So pretty has a price....

Maybe not the businesses themselves, but the city & county have planted 1,000's of trees along side all of Houston's major freeways just over the past 10-12 years. I-45 north of downtown all the way up to Spring is looking pretty good.

Maybe you should give credit where credit is due.

http://www.treesforhouston.org/

[timtemtym]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Maybe not the businesses themselves, but the city & county have planted 1,000's of trees along side all of Houston's major freeways just over the past 10-12 years. I-45 north of downtown all the way up to Spring is looking pretty good.

45 north inside the beltway? I know outside the beltway it looks great with lots of trees especially in Montgomery County.

Houston was doing corridors like adding palm trees down the Gulf freeway since it heads to the water and Eucalyptus trees they planted along 59 Southwest freeway close to the beltway. That idea should have gone farther up the freeways. Seems like they did it around the intersections with the beltway and then gave up within a few miles.

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by Bike4Life

Some of us have luxury taste and live beyond materialistic things.

I don't mind the poor as long as they wear designer clothing, drive nice cars and live in fantastic houses.