extending highway 249, hardy toll road, highway 225, and highway 5 (Houston, Dallas: established neighborhood, construction)

[chad.roper]

The state needs to extend highway 249 all the way to downtown using the same very long ramps it has between beltway 8 and springcypress. They also need to redo the exchange at betway 8 to make it a full one. It would cross 610 where shepard road is with a full exchange then continue to downtown where it will cross interstate 10 just to the east of downtown. It would continue south parallel to interstate 45 but just to the east where it will cross 225 with a full exchange. From there it will head back to the west crossing interstate 45 and becoming highway 5. It would cross 610 as a freeway and go south where monroe road is with exits for airport road, almeda genevia road, broadway road, and beltway 8. Then they need to take highway 290 and run it to interstate 10 because people over there drive like its a madhouse. The way 249 is set up right now people living in tomball and around 249 on louetta road or jones road have to go out of the way to get to downtown or anything south of downtown. It would cut down on traffic on interstate 45 and beltway 8

[Malvie]

Originally Posted by chad.roper

The state needs to extend highway 249 all the way to downtown using the same very long ramps it has between beltway 8 and springcypress. They also need to redo the exchange at betway 8 to make it a full one. It would cross 610 where shepard road is with a full exchange then continue to downtown where it will cross interstate 10 just to the east of downtown. It would continue south parallel to interstate 45 but just to the east where it will cross 225 with a full exchange. From there it will head back to the west crossing interstate 45 and becoming highway 5. It would cross 610 as a freeway and go south where monroe road is with exits for airport road, almeda genevia road, broadway road, and beltway 8. Then they need to take highway 290 and run it to interstate 10 because people over there drive like its a madhouse. The way 249 is set up right now people living in tomball and around 249 on louetta road or jones road have to go out of the way to get to downtown or anything south of downtown. It would cut down on traffic on interstate 45 and beltway 8

So, you're saying that all those people who live in the Heights, Oak Forest, and the Fifth Ward (not to mention the businesses etc) should be displaced (at exhorbitant cost) so the nice folks who have chosen to live in Tomball can get downtown faster?

It's very, very difficult and costly to cut a highway through an established neighborhood or neighborhoods. The Hardy Toll and the Westpark Toll were built along existing right of way (city streets displaced). The Katy Freeway expansion displaced people and businesses, but it was the widening of an existing road.

As someone who drives Katy Freeway to the Eastex Freeway every day---the traffic at the merge of 10, 45, and 59 is pretty tough now. If they tried to tie in another road....

[chad.roper]

They would use the right of way on shepard road. Not that many business would be displaced. Houston is not all packed in tight like Dallas or Los Angeles it has a lot of pasture in it.

[AlfredB1979]

Originally Posted by chad.roper

The way 249 is set up right now people living in tomball and around 249 on louetta road or jones road have to go out of the way to get to downtown or anything south of downtown.

Easier solution when the state probably does not have that kind of money to toss around...move closer to work!

[jfre81]

Move closer in or deal with the commute. There aren't going to be any more freeways built through the Inner Loop, except maybe extending Spur 5 to 610 or the beltway. You can forget about 249 coming in through the Heights.

[AlfredB1979]

Word.

I deal with the Gulf Freeway and 610 South and that stupid left lane construction when I leave work on Dixie Farm to head to HCC-SE. Heck, 610/45 is already bad enough without that because idiots can't plan ahead and move over well in advance to get onto 610, so that area is choked off on the best of traffic days!

The last thing the doctor needs to order is more traffic in that area.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by AlfredB1979

Word.

I deal with the Gulf Freeway and 610 South and that stupid left lane construction when I leave work on Dixie Farm to head to HCC-SE. Heck, 610/45 is already bad enough without that because idiots can't plan ahead and move over well in advance to get onto 610, so that area is choked off on the best of traffic days!

What I don't understand is these tards make that drive every day and they don't have the sense to get over where they need to. Dixie Farm Road is another bottleneck point.

I'm about to take off in that direction in a little bit and I bet I even get slowed down on a Sunday afternoon. It's ridiculous.

I used to think I hate driving, but I really don't. I hate people.

[AlfredB1979]

Originally Posted by jfre81

What I don't understand is these tards make that drive every day and they don't have the sense to get over where they need to. Dixie Farm Road is another bottleneck point.

I'm about to take off in that direction in a little bit and I bet I even get slowed down on a Sunday afternoon. It's ridiculous.

I used to think I hate driving, but I really don't. I hate people.

No doubt.

When I head to HCC-SE, it boggles my mind how there is a solid jam outbound that direction.

Did someone knock down an invisible overpass at Nasa Road 1 that I don't know about?

Oh hell, doesn't matter. I stopped liking people overly much a long time ago.

[Mr. Football]

These threads are typically littered with idiotic comments like..."if you don't like the commute then move" - as if taxpaying homeowners shouldn't feel entitled to demand roads be built with their tax dollars. Meanwhile, their tax dollars are being appropriated (limited purpose annexations) by the very people who tell them to shutup and quit complaining. Here's a thought....let's say they all decided to move into town. How's that for a cluster****?

How would you like that? Evil Joe & Suzy Republican suburbanite bringing their 'hellspawn' along with their cats and dogs into the Heights, Montrose, etc to live next door to Anton & Andre the Nihilist inner loopers and their chihuahua, Brutus. Yes, there are 3+ million living outside the loop. Let's all move in! It'll be great! No more new roads!

Back to the main point, yes they do need to convert the stretch of 249 from the Beltway to I-45 into a Freeway before they even consider spending another dime on extending 249 out to Navasota or wherever they're wanting to extend it.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

There is no available property between the West Belt all the way into downtown. Yes, some businesses and residences were displaced by the widening of I10, but it was not the entire stretch, the city purchased the railroad which made it possible.

Eminent domain works only when the city can pay market value to the residences, businesses, and therein lies the problem, Houston just cannot afford the price tag of doing so, especially inside the loop.

Houston has to seriously start thinking of viaducts whereby traffic going through the city is elevated, local traffic below. There is no land to purchase, but then you have to deal with noise. Also, I'm sure they can squeeze in one, or two lanes and narrow others, but it would be a bandaid, they need to have a comprehensive plan as they did with I10. 'Never ending problems in Houston.

'Don't want to stir the mud, but Houston and the nation have to start thinking about rail. It is expensive, but at some point, fuel will also be. More efficient cars, hyprids will deprive the state with revenues to build more and more roads. Nuclear power, rail, they both go together and need to be looked at.