SH130 to be the new I-35? (Dallas, Austin: home, employment, live)

[AmberAzeneth]

As Austin transitions to being a really big city , which it is doing now, it needs a hub and spoke freeway system like a San Antonio or a Houston to better accomodate the needs of the city and the growing population. The N.I.M.B.Y.'s need to get with the program and understand that their needs to be more freeways and no toll roads. The N.I.M.B.Y.'s need to understand also that Mopac needs to be rebuilt from square one. Things change with progress. It is time for Austin to change with it. Leave IH-35 alone and get a real loop freeway with other spoke freeways to address the needs of the entire metroploitan area. I know that will promote more sprawl, but guess what, Austin is already full of sprawl. Leave IH-35 in central Austin. Loose the tolls on SH 130 and SH 45, SH 183A and watch how much traffic disappears from IH-35. Lets get Austin a real freeway loop with no tolls.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by AmberAzeneth

As Austin transitions to being a really big city , which it is doing now, it needs a hub and spoke freeway system like a San Antonio or a Houston to better accomodate the needs of the city and the growing population. The N.I.M.B.Y.'s need to get with the program and understand that their needs to be more freeways and no toll roads. The N.I.M.B.Y.'s need to understand also that Mopac needs to be rebuilt from square one. Things change with progress. It is time for Austin to change with it. Leave IH-35 alone and get a real loop freeway with other spoke freeways to address the needs of the entire metroploitan area. I know that will promote more sprawl, but guess what, Austin is already full of sprawl. Leave IH-35 in central Austin. Loose the tolls on SH 130 and SH 45, SH 183A and watch how mutch traffic disappears from IH35. Lets get Austin a real freeway loop with no tolls.

Aren't you from Houston? Haven't we made it clear by NOT living in Houston that that's not what we want?

Guess what, we don't need to do any such thing. We'd like to find a better solution than throwing roads at the problem that will only generate more populace that will need more roads, ad infinitum.

[AmberAzeneth]

Yes, THL, I am from Houston, but my job has me in Austin quite a bit so I am putting my two cents in. I to get to deal with the traffic when I am in Austin for business and pleasure. A hub and spoke freeway system would really help Austin out greatly. You are not going to stop the city from growing so just accept that you need more freeways and deal with it. It would help the greater good of Austin.

[TexasHorseLady]

It would help YOUR idea of the "greater good" of Austin. Paving over the city does not, to me, mean the "greater good". Thinking just a little bit outside the box and coming up with answers besides more pavement would be vastly preferable and much more akin to the "greater good" than the kneejerk "pave it all over so we can get places faster!" response I so often see to traffic problems.

[jobert]

Originally Posted by AmberAzeneth

Yes, THL, I am from Houston, but my job has me in Austin quite a bit so I am putting my two cents in. I to get to deal with the traffic when I am in Austin for business and pleasure. A hub and spoke freeway system would really help Austin out greatly. You are not going to stop the city from growing so just accept that you need more freeways and deal with it. It would help the greater good of Austin.

We don't need a hub and spoke freeway, as we are in a unique situation. We actually mind when the Hill Country gets paved over, unlike west Houston. Vancouver BC has survived just fine with no major freeway anywhere near downtown - the closest one being about 5 miles away. I think in a strange way, Austin can run with this I-35 idea, and still remain unique. This town has never done things like anyone else, and this is the latest chapter in that legacy.

[1mintjulep]

I still have no idea where 130 is.

So basically, there would be no way to get into downtown (or anywhere in the city) without having to pay a toll? I live in north-central Austin, not way the hell out in RR or Buda...if I have to pay a toll to drive five minutes on the interstate, I'm not gonna be happy.

[cBach]

I like this whole I-35/130 swap idea very much. It uses existing road capacity but just manages it better. Currently there is a giant brand new tollway in East Austin (130) that has nearly no traffic. Then there is a rundown interstate (I-35) that has most of the NAFTA traffic from the country going through it.

Swap them and then problem solved.

This is why I live in Austin, we think outside of the box to solve our problems.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by AmberAzeneth

As Austin transitions to being a really big city , which it is doing now, it needs a hub and spoke freeway system like a San Antonio or a Houston to better accomodate the needs of the city and the growing population. The N.I.M.B.Y.'s need to get with the program and understand that their needs to be more freeways and no toll roads. The N.I.M.B.Y.'s need to understand also that Mopac needs to be rebuilt from square one. Things change with progress. It is time for Austin to change with it. Leave IH-35 alone and get a real loop freeway with other spoke freeways to address the needs of the entire metroploitan area. I know that will promote more sprawl, but guess what, Austin is already full of sprawl. Leave IH-35 in central Austin. Loose the tolls on SH 130 and SH 45, SH 183A and watch how much traffic disappears from IH-35. Lets get Austin a real freeway loop with no tolls.

Not to pile on after Jobert and THL but yet another reason not to do this is funding. Due to the fact that inflation has eroded the buying power of our $0.20/gallon gas tax in the past two decades TxDOT predicts in a few short years they will have no money for new projects, but that everything will be going towards maintenance and repairs unless something is changed. Tolls are one of the substitutions for the gas tax but of course you can't toll something that doesn't have limited access (highways) and their is still a lot of resistance to the idea in general.

And for us locals the average commute is around 27 minutes each way so if we do spend a few extra minutes in traffic each day it is worth it b/c we have a highway system built around our city and not the other way around. That Austinites don't brace the typical American car culture without reservations is a good thing. That long standing neighborhoods aren't bull-dozed for a couple of extra lanes that will induce even greater demand is a good compromise for us. Yes you can maximize growth by building highway after highway but that does not always translate into an increase in the quality of life of the citizens.

[gcrissman]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

Not to pile on after Jobert and THL but yet another reason not to do this is funding. Due to the fact that inflation has eroded the buying power of our $0.20/gallon gas tax in the past two decades TxDOT predicts in a few short years they will have no money for new projects, but that everything will be going towards maintenance and repairs unless something is changed. Tolls are one of the substitutions for the gas tax but of course you can't toll something that doesn't have limited access (highways) and their is still a lot of resistance to the idea in general.

And for us locals the average commute is around 27 minutes each way so if we do spend a few extra minutes in traffic each day it is worth it b/c we have a highway system built around our city and not the other way around. That Austinites don't brace the typical American car culture without reservations is a good thing. That long standing neighborhoods aren't bull-dozed for a couple of extra lanes that will induce even greater demand is a good compromise for us. Yes you can maximize growth by building highway after highway but that does not always translate into an increase in the quality of life of the citizens.

As an outsider I don't have much say in this debate but I can promise you the growth will come and some day the roads will have to be built. Its the same as passing the buck on the National Debt to our grandkids, sooner or later someone has to deal with it and each year it gets harder.

As someone deciding between Austin and Dallas on their next home I am concerned but I think barring a complete disaster of a visit next month we will be moving to Austin as my office in Dallas would be downtown by the courthouse and that is too far to drive from the burbs.

I also think there are better ways to deal with traffic and growth in America but until there is a complete culture change and people are willing to give up Pickups, fullsize cars, and large homes those other ways will never work.

[TexasHorseLady]

But the only way there will be even a partial culture change will be for people to simply stop with the kneejerk, "this is the way it's always been done" solutions that aren't solutions at all and think about trying something different. And Austin's a great place to do that!