Commute from Kingwood to Medical center (Houston, Humble: daycare, house, safest neighborhood)

[akhilareddy]

..

[westhou]

not a bad commute. it will take you about 20 minutes to get from Kingwood to Downtown. Another 15 minutes from Downtown to the Medical Center. 59 North is a fairly free flowing freeway compared to the other freeways around town.

[lhafer]

Depends on where you are coming from in Kingwood. If in the back...it could be considerably longer.

Generally speaking it takes 20-25 minutes to get from IAH to downtown. Then another 20-25 minutes from downtown to the med center.

I live in Humble (1960 and W. Lake Houston Prkwy) and it takes me an hour to an hour and 15 minutes to get from my garage to my work's garage. After Hurricane Ike, I quit taking 59 into downtown because it was becoming really congested. I think it's better now, but I still take a different way.

I actually have been taking Beltway 8 over to the Hardy Toll road (I have an EZ tag), and taking the Hardy in. I exit Hardy St. and take that into Downtown (it turns into La Branch). Then I take Fannin all the way into the Medical Center. It takes right at an hour from door to door.

Where are you currently?

[akhilareddy]

thanks a lot for your suggestion. I live right off 59 and northpark drive. I will try to take hardy all the way like you suggested and see if it makes a difference. How about the commute coming back at about 5:30 pm. Is Hardy a better option then also?

[lhafer]

Generally I leave my house between 6:15-6:30am, and drop my daughter off at daycare. So I am "actually" leaving around 6:30-6:45am. I am almost always at work between 7:30-7:45am. Hardy traffic cruises at 70mph all the way to 610. The Hardy St exit will take you under 610. It has a speed limit of 35, but everyone goes ~45-50mph. There are ~3 street lights until you get to downtown. It's not the safest neighborhood to go through, and I wouldn't do it at night, but a lot of really expensive cars travel with me on this route...me in my momobile minivan...I'm not too nervous!! haha.

I typically leave by 4pm, 4:30pm at the latest. My building is at Holcombe and Main (the Bank of America Building). I typically take 59 home, and it takes about an hour. Periodically I take the Hardy home, but I don't see that it makes the difference like taking it in the morning. It takes me about 5 minutes from Beltway 8 to the Hardy exit in the mornings. I am usually getting to the daycare between 5-5:30pm. I don't think 59 would be awful when you would want to leave. I have noticed on the Beltway that traffic to exit 59 north can back up pretty far. So I am not sure that would work better for you in the evenings.

I have a GPS system both in my car, and on my phone, which I always check before leaving my house, and leaving work. It pretty much directs my route. If there is an accident, I can see it and know which way to go.

Even if I take 59 in the mornings, I still exit downtown, and take Fannin in. I can't stand sitting in the 59/45 exchange, and then the 59/288 business.

I at least like having options!!

[Jamesww]

The evening commute to Kingwood depends alot on what time you will start your commute. 59 North from around the Beltway into Kingwood gets really bad around 6:30pm but is not to bad prior to 5:30pm. Another thing listen to lhafer when they discuss the 59/45 interchange as traffic just stops moving there and this slow down can occur at pretty much anytime of day.

[dv1033]

It isn't any easier taking 59N>610>288/Main/Fannin to get from Kingwood to the TMC?

[lhafer]

Originally Posted by dv1033

It isn't any easier taking 59N>610>288/Main/Fannin to get from Kingwood to the TMC?

You mean 59 SOUTH, as Kingwood is NE of Houston, and do you mean taking the 610 loop around to 288? And then coming back north on Main/Fannin? It would take too much time...it's not easier doing it that way. If you went on the west side of the loop you run into Galleria traffic. If you take the east side of the loop you run into construction and major backups.

Actually sitting through the traffic on 59 at the 45 exchange isn't all that bad. I takes me about...15 minutes or so to go from that big right turn on 59 coming into downtown to exiting Southmore (which is the exit I take to Fannin, and the left on Fannin and into the medical center). So it's really not that bad.

I don't take Braeswood or Holcombe from 288 because of the construction going on Holcombe. I find it easier to go down Main or Fannin to get into the medical center from the north.

Laura