Shoudn't all of this road work been done a LONG time ago?? (Dallas: how much, construction)

[Newbe10]

Driving around on the freeways of DFW the past few months has been nothing short of insane. I am fairly active and get out and drive alot (either due to commuting to and from school, visting family/friends, going to parks, musems, local tourist attractions, night life spots, ect.) around the area to various places.

I have noticed that all throughout DFW, there are new interchanges being built (i.e. TX 114/121 near the airport, the southern extension of GBT interchanges at I-30 and I-20, and DNT and SRT in Frisco), a few freeways being widend, roads getting re-paved or even torn-up and rebuilt completely. All of this construction going on at once has made traffic just completely insane; even worse than it was before it all started.
I would like to know why the highway department and local construction companies decided to do everything at once. I think that this work should have been done SEVERAL years back and in phases, and BEFORE DFW's population exploded so much. If this would have been done back then, I believe that the traffic now would be bearable.

I went to the Fort Worth area today (more specifically, Lake Worth) and traveling on 183 from the airport to I-820 in Haltom City was hell. I think that part of the trip alone took over an hour.

Another thing that I noticed since moving to the metroplex was how very few of the freeways in the area have enough lanes for all of the daily traffic. I-635, I-20, and the section of 35E in and around Downtown Dallas, are the only freeways in the metroplex that I have seen that have enough lanes to handle all of the traffic. All of the other freeways (including some of the toll roads) need to be expanded, badly.

The traffic here in DFW is definitely not the worst in the country by any means (LA & Chicago make DFW seem like nothing at times), but all of this construction, which should have been done a LONG time ago, has just made it rediculous.

[loves2read]

get real...
government buracracy
growth
wear/tear on construction that is always built a little less than perfect

yes--it is insane--
yes--it creates a hazardous driving environment

but people who advocated building an 8 lane freeway vs 6 for 183 or 114 would have been laughed out of the room because of the increase in cost vs the number of cars at that time--

using your analysis--no street/freeway should be built unless it is originally created for the max number of vehicles to use it--

[5stones]

It's going to be sooo nice when it is all completed!

I just hope by the time it's all finished...it's not obsolete by then.

[busterkeaton]

That's why I save the little sanity I have left(very little mind you) and take public transport.

[mSooner]

Money.

Although, I agree. It is insane. Look at the future plans for the NTTA, though. It's never going to stop.

I still want to kill someone every time I hear the Chase Bank commercial that talks about how they funded the damn Woodall Rogers project and how much the students at Booker T. Washington will enjoy it.

"The construction has created jobs..."

No, Chase...the construction has made a living hell out of a major thoroughfare and I hate you for being the damn idiots that funded it.

[Twincam666]

Of course it should have been done, But!

The construction companies milk it to get fat checks!
The employees milk it to keep a check coming
and the politicians took bribes to give it to those construction companies so they are not going to complain to them...................Texas politicians are corrupt!

And look at the NTTA, they took AWAY jobs for Toll takers? It's insane? No manned toll booths is stupid, who's getting all the $$$$$$ and they pay a guy every month in Florida who resigned from them..................again, crooked politicians

[fistofsouth]

Originally Posted by Newbe10

Driving around on the freeways of DFW the past few months has been nothing short of insane. I am fairly active and get out and drive alot (either due to commuting to and from school, visting family/friends, going to parks, musems, local tourist attractions, night life spots, ect.) around the area to various places.

I have noticed that all throughout DFW, there are new interchanges being built (i.e. TX 114/121 near the airport, the southern extension of GBT interchanges at I-30 and I-20, and DNT and SRT in Frisco), a few freeways being widend, roads getting re-paved or even torn-up and rebuilt completely. All of this construction going on at once has made traffic just completely insane; even worse than it was before it all started.
I would like to know why the highway department and local construction companies decided to do everything at once. I think that this work should have been done SEVERAL years back and in phases, and BEFORE DFW's population exploded so much. If this would have been done back then, I believe that the traffic now would be bearable.

I went to the Fort Worth area today (more specifically, Lake Worth) and traveling on 183 from the airport to I-820 in Haltom City was hell. I think that part of the trip alone took over an hour.

Another thing that I noticed since moving to the metroplex was how very few of the freeways in the area have enough lanes for all of the daily traffic. I-635, I-20, and the section of 35E in and around Downtown Dallas, are the only freeways in the metroplex that I have seen that have enough lanes to handle all of the traffic. All of the other freeways (including some of the toll roads) need to be expanded, badly.

The traffic here in DFW is definitely not the worst in the country by any means (LA & Chicago make DFW seem like nothing at times), but all of this construction, which should have been done a LONG time ago, has just made it rediculous.

Do yourself a favor and NEVER visit Germany as they are always working on roads and construction projects. I think the Franfurt Airport Rein Main Airbase expansion has been going on since the early 1980s.

As far as North Texas road construction goes I have to ask did you just get here? Do you know what Central Expressway looked like in say 1985? How about the Central/LBJ interchange? Did you know the Dallas North Tollway used to actually end in North Dallas? Did you know the George Bush Tollway was in the works in the 1980s and didn't really go anywhere until about 2001? Do you realize that DFW has averages greater than 20% growth for the last 30 years? Did you know the only other metro areas the size of DFW (NY, LA, Chi, Philly, et al) average growth rates of less than 5% during that same time-frame? A glance at the US Census for the last 30 years has ALL of the answers you seek.

[Eric Fred Norris]

you people complain about anything. grow up.

[The Gribbler]

Originally Posted by Eric Fred Norris

you people complain about anything. grow up.

Best username evah.

[MaryS80]

You should have been here when they were working on 75. I swear it took 15 years of at least seemed that way.