How to solve the I-35 problem (San Antonio, Austin: section 8, apartment, house)

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by pop251808

What's the matter, did a bicyclist get in your way, once?

So, you support the painting in of bike lanes on a stretch of US Hwy that already has the nickname "deadman's alley" and which produces year after year a high number of traffic fatalities? Sure. Not enough dead drivers, let's just add some bike lanes to the shoulder, and let's make sure at 1826 it's one of those weird ones that cross crosses with the right turn traffic, so everyone will be confused. I can't think of a better way to make it less safe than exactly what was done.

Point being, our roads are not designed intelligently. It's politics. IH35 improvements will no doubt cost WAY more because "walkability" and "bike friendly" will be mandated.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

So, you support the painting in of bike lanes on a stretch of US Hwy that already has the nickname "deadman's alley" and which produces year after year a high number of traffic fatalities? Sure. Not enough dead drivers, let's just add some bike lanes to the shoulder, and let's make sure at 1826 it's one of those weird ones that cross crosses with the right turn traffic, so everyone will be confused. I can't think of a better way to make it less safe than exactly what was done.

So it's better to _not_ have the bike lanes and have bikes continue to use an unmarked shoulder?

Originally Posted by austin-steve

Point being, our roads are not designed intelligently. It's politics. IH35 improvements will no doubt cost WAY more because "walkability" and "bike friendly" will be mandated.

yeah, it's not the miles and miles of elevated vehicle lanes or underground vehicle lanes, it's a few hundred feet of paths at crossings that make it expensive.

[sojourner77]

I think we are in agreement, that BIKE LANES will NOT help I-35. It may help east-west connectivity in central Austin, but that won't help the traffic on I-35.


If I was to ever take a bike downtown from Southpark Meadows, I would use South Congress, NOT I-35. The stoplights are a non-factor for cyclists, as there is no "backup" of cyclists at intersections, like you have with motor vehicles. Cyclists primarily care about the shortest distance from A-to-B, and that they have their own lane. Bells and whistles (like elevated bicycle lanes straddling I-35 or SH71) are idiotic, and won't convince cyclists to eat car exhaust from a highway. Let's get real.

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by pop251808

What's wrong with I-35? It's the fastest north/south street in town.

Ah, I love quoting myself! Can someone name a north/south street in town that moves faster, at more times of the day, than 35? I'll give you credit even if you say "yes, but I can't tell you, I want to keep the secret to myself." If not, I stand by my original, oft quoted statement above.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by pop251808

Ah, I love quoting myself! Can someone name a north/south street in town that moves faster, at more times of the day, than 35? I'll give you credit even if you say "yes, but I can't tell you, I want to keep the secret to myself." If not, I stand by my original, oft quoted statement above.

At least according to TxDot's congestion measures, Mopac experiences less congestion than I35.

(now that may be pre-construction, but eventually that should be cleared out and improved).

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by Novacek

At least according to TxDot's congestion measures, Mopac experiences less congestion than I35.

(now that may be pre-construction, but eventually that should be cleared out and improved).

We'll see, maybe. But then, none of us are driving "pre-construction" now, are we? It is what it is (I hate that expression, but it seems to fit here).

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by pop251808

We'll see, maybe. But then, none of us are driving "pre-construction" now, are we? It is what it is (I hate that expression, but it seems to fit here).

Preconstruction of what, SH45 SW? That will be a traffic nightmare when that gets connected to the south end of Mopac. Lots of people live in Hays roughly equidistant from I-35 and Mopac. As I-35 gets worse, there are commuters who will be pushed off the fence towards using Mopac instead of I-35, and they will start congesting south Mopac even more as SH45-to-Mopac will be an extremely attractive option to these people.


Just like it was on the north side near Wells Branch. From first hand accounts of people who lived in the area; Mopac instantly turned worse the day it opened.

[ChazG]

[quote=sojourner77;42968700]So you're saying "increase capacity" of I-35. Have you seen the split in downtown Austin? No more blood left in that turnip - maybe you can squeeze one extra lane each direction, after that you're talking about adding a third story to the freeway, or bulldozing buildings downtown.

Well, not everyone is going to be happy with an expansion some businesses probably would have to move, but not the majority. The city would have to have expand more to the eastern side of 35 in downtown.

And as far as the split that's like what, 2 miles? Anyways if you take out the bottom portion, connect the bridges together and just make it one long bridge you can add at least add four to five lanes each way consistently. Maybe have the frontage rds swing under the bridge and then swing back out towards the end of the bridge. That way your not displaying any businesses or affecting the cemetery right there and its still a 10 lane freeway on top (5 lanes each way).

A lot of the over and under passes on 35 have trees and grass on the sides. You would have to take a lot of that out and just make it like a solid wall.

For ex: If you look on Google maps at Woodard St. and 35, Yager Ln and 35, St Johns St. and 35 for the underpasses and maybe Howard lane and 35 for the overpasses that's how it could work. And at the same time you wouldn't displace too many businesses.

[Roadking2003]

Create express lanes with no entry or exit from 290 North to 290/71 South.

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by sojourner77

We should bulldoze buildings in downtown Austin to make room, because changing a law to swap freeways is too much work.

My point was simply that it's not just a matter of swapping highway numbers like so many seem to think on this board. It's not like it would help traffic much anyway since the vast majority of Austin's congestion is local. Besides, you're going to **** off a lot of Austinites by tolling an unavoidable expressway that used to be free, not to mention the terrible precedent it sets for the state.