Who's responsible for these DFW freeways and who can I write a complaint to? (Houston: insurance, living in)

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Rakin

The I-35 project is about to start from Denton through Downtown Dallas. From what I hear it's about 3 phases and will take 10-15 years.

Enjoy the commute.

And when it's all said and done guess how many new free lanes it'll have. Zero (just like 635). What it will have are some nice, empty Lexus Lanes to look at as you still sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Progress...Texas Style.

Apologies - Just looked up the 35E project and it will have additional free lanes - one in each direction...whoopdeedoo.

[bigdaddycool1111]

Originally Posted by Rakin

The I-35 project is about to start from Denton through Downtown Dallas. From what I hear it's about 3 phases and will take 10-15 years.

Enjoy the commute.

10 to 15 years to build/fix an existing road? Entire cities were built from scratch in less time. Talk about efficiency.

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by bigdaddycool1111

10 to 15 years to build/fix an existing road? Entire cities were built from scratch in less time. Talk about efficiency.

Only took 9 years to get to the moon.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by bigdaddycool1111

10 to 15 years to build/fix an existing road? Entire cities were built from scratch in less time. Talk about efficiency.

If they shut the whole thing down I am sure it could bedone much more quickly. The time factor is maitaining a full on interstate while rebuilding it at the same time. Much thought and planning has to go into not only the rebuild but how to maintain a fully functioning route in the midst of a construction zone.

I am currently living through the rebuild of 75 through the heart of McKinney. At times it seems painfully slow. But I am appreciating how they are having to build pieces at a time and transition traffic from one part to another and piece the whole thing together. I'm sure it would have been completed some time ago if they could have told all of us to go elsewhere for a year or two. But you can't do that and not cause complete havoc.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk

Washington DC.

I remember driving from Bolling AFB to the Pentagon one morning in DC back in the late 80s. I had just gone over the 11th st bridge and was on the the SE Freeway, having just made the big turn to the west, right about where it crosses over 8th st.

Apparenly only moments earlier, a section of the raised highway had just dropped right in front of me at one of the expansion joints. I was in the far left lane, and the drop was about three inches--I hit it like hitting a low curb--WHAM, dang that hurt!

But it had dropped at an angle, and in the right lane the drop was close to a foot. I heard something like a crash behind me and looked up at my rear view mirror to the car that was behind me and to my right. I saw that guy skidding to a stop...sparks spewing out behind him. I looked further back and saw his rear wheels and axle rolling backwards behind him.

He was having a really bad morning, to say the least.

I used to listen to the radio each morning for the pothole reports. Sometimes yawning, automobile-crippling potholes would just open up anywhere in the city. "We have a report of a new pothole at 16th and C SE. It has already disabled four automobiles, so avoid that area of the city."

Wow! Glad you escaped unscathed.

Did you ever hear the story about the guy who caused DC area traffic jams every single day he drove? IIRC he worked for the FAA and his gag was to get in a middle lane and drive about 10/15 under. He literally caused traffic jams all by himself. After years of his BS someone figured out who he was an outed him maybe in the Post.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by ExAstris

I have had no problems navigating San Francisco or Washington, D.C. the several times I have been to both cities. I highly prefer driving in Los Angeles (even in rush hour) than DFW. Clearly YMMV.

One of the many things that perplexes me are the surface street routes which are much faster than taking the freeway here. I know a colleague who lives in Allen, and I can get to her house from mine in Richardson in about 15 minutes if I take surface streets. If I take 75, it's at least a half hour, usually more. There is usually not much difference in mileage, so why is the freeway route less efficient?

I find the short entrance/exit ramps (especially on 75), insufficient signage (or perhaps drivers who cannot plan their route effectively), and universally poor accident management to be some of the biggest problems with navigating DFW.

I fail to appreciate the frontage road system, and find it awfully inefficient to either drive past your intended destination to U-turn and backtrack, or to take the nearest exit and hope you can navigate the side streets that run parallel to the service road to get where you are going.

I disagree with all of that except the surface roads thing. It's not at all uncommon to find particular surface routes that are quicker than freeways when the freeway is busy.

Your LA claim does not pass the smell test. Traffic out there in every measurable way is worse than here.

[Tamara0914]

Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk

Washington DC.

I remember driving from Bolling AFB to the Pentagon one morning in DC back in the late 80s. I had just gone over the 11th st bridge and was on the the SE Freeway, having just made the big turn to the west, right about where it crosses over 8th st.

Apparenly only moments earlier, a section of the raised highway had just dropped right in front of me at one of the expansion joints. I was in the far left lane, and the drop was about three inches--I hit it like hitting a low curb--WHAM, dang that hurt!

But it had dropped at an angle, and in the right lane the drop was close to a foot. I heard something like a crash behind me and looked up at my rear view mirror to the car that was behind me and to my right. I saw that guy skidding to a stop...sparks spewing out behind him. I looked further back and saw his rear wheels and axle rolling backwards behind him.

He was having a really bad morning, to say the least.

I used to listen to the radio each morning for the pothole reports. Sometimes yawning, automobile-crippling potholes would just open up anywhere in the city. "We have a report of a new pothole at 16th and C SE. It has already disabled four automobiles, so avoid that area of the city."

Agreed. Living and driving in DC is nothing short of a disaster.. the DC Metro area in general is a drivers nightmare. The fact that people here in Dallas complain about traffic is comical to me..... you really, really, do not know what traffic is then. ANY DC Metro area highway whether its 66, 395, 495, 295, George Washington Pkwy, 270 and worse of all .. highway 95.. anytime between 6am-10am, or 3pm-7pm. You might as well forget it. . even outside those core hours can be a nightmare.

I'm done ranting now.. lol.. just kills me. I'd drive in Dallas ALL DAY every day, looping around 635 over DC traffic. Always.

[ExAstris]

Originally Posted by EDS_

I disagree with all of that except the surface roads thing. It's not at all uncommon to find particular surface routes that are quicker than freeways when the freeway is busy.

Your LA claim does not pass the smell test. Traffic out there in every measurable way is worse than here.

I've found particular surface routes to be quicker even when the freeways are not busy, but I digress.

And so sorry. It must have been the awful drivers and not the roads I was thinking of. Way to be #4 Texas.

Study Ranks US States by their Worst Drivers - Carscoops

[aznkobee]

Originally Posted by ExAstris

I have had no problems navigating San Francisco or Washington, D.C. the several times I have been to both cities. I highly prefer driving in Los Angeles (even in rush hour) than DFW. Clearly YMMV.

I really find it delusional that people are honestly saying driving in LA is better than DFW. I grew up in LA and was used to driving there but now when I go back to visit family I feel like jabbing myself in the eye every time I am in the car. Nothing like stepping outside of LAX at 11pm on a Thursday with a massive bumper to bumper jam on the 405 and 105 to welcome you back......

For those of you guys complaining about how long it takes to build roads in DFW... In LA they blocked off 2 lanes on the busiest fwy segment in the country on the 405 for about 5 yrs doing god knows what because I really didn't notice a difference before and after. And how about that massive train wreck they called Santa Monica Blvd in West LA. They seriously took 10 yrs to fix a couple miles of road. Basically the entire time from when I learned how to drive at 16 yo through my undergrad and doctoral stay at UCLA, it looked the same.. like a war zone.

I was very surprised how fast the massive project of 121 / 114 segment near DFW airport was finished, compared to what I was used to in Cali

[majicdonjuan]

Originally Posted by Tamara0914

Agreed. Living and driving in DC is nothing short of a disaster.. the DC Metro area in general is a drivers nightmare. The fact that people here in Dallas complain about traffic is comical to me..... you really, really, do not know what traffic is then. ANY DC Metro area highway whether its 66, 395, 495, 295, George Washington Pkwy, 270 and worse of all .. highway 95.. anytime between 6am-10am, or 3pm-7pm. You might as well forget it. . even outside those core hours can be a nightmare.

I'm done ranting now.. lol.. just kills me. I'd drive in Dallas ALL DAY every day, looping around 635 over DC traffic. Always.

This is true. People who live in the suburbs here and commute to DC routinely have 2+ hour commutes - each way. This is for a roughly 30 mile drive (Woodbridge to DC or Leesburg/Ashburn to DC, for example).

The sheer disaster that is I-95 north in the morning from Fredericksburg to DC (or south in the afternoon) has no equal in DFW. The only thing in Texas I can think of that's comparable is I-35 in Austin (which is also worse than any single road in DFW imo).

DFW's traffic isn't even as bad as Houston's overall, and Houston's traffic isn't close to that of DC in terms of driving. It's truly a nightmare. And let's not even mention NYC or Boston - completely horrible. It's really not even all that close.