Highways to nowhere - frivolous highway projects? (buying, tax)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I also agree I would rather invest in rail and/or fixing the outdated infrastructure, especially if it comes out of my taxes. i am tired of paying for brand new roads in places that aren't even built yet when the aged infrastructure in so many places is in such disrepair. I am tired of paying the frieght for other areas when my roads are horrible and all i am paying for is areas to continue to sprawl.
You got it wrong. The area is already sprawling. Houston Metro already extends far past Grand Parkway. It is financially impossible to build a 200 mile rail system around Houston.
If your roads are bad them you and your reps are poor lobbyist.
Again Rail is not feasible in this area. The area is too large, there are not enough ridership yet. Building this thing would result in empty trains. I know of no city that builds rails along its outer band.
As you can see, the Grand Parkway runs through areas that already exist. In fact in many areas the GP already exists
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,742 posts, read 23,795,420 times
Reputation: 14630
Got it! Point taken with Houston, build it to your hearts content! I don't agree with the article ver batum. 93 in NH should have been widened 20 years ago also, might as well do it now before sprawl engulfs the land. They left rail corridor out of the equation with this project though, it's a very busy corridor from Boston - Manchester.
I just find it frustrating to see some of our nations busiest highways crumbling. So it raises the question is stimulus funding being fairly distributed? I'd rathere see an upgrade to urban interstates in Philly before bridges start buckling and collapsing than highways to nowhere in Kentucky and Indiana, or bridges to nowhere in Alaska. If Alaska can do it themselves then fine.
The Northeast has alot of unfinished Highways , some of those will become future Rail ROW. Mostly the Urban ones , we really need to stop building new highways. Whats the point really? Its wasteful spending that encourages more govt strain and leading to crumbling older highways.
As long as I don't foot the bill I will back it, we can't get Highways widened that have higher usage and are more burdened not to mention any new highways. If you want it pay for it, build it into to your taxes, let the newcomers pay that will benefit that is all.
Highways are extremely expensive in the long run. I would argue until Houston builds some alternatives no more highways, it is just silly and I am sick of paying the bill, infill and build infrastructure, don't expand and add to the overall billl
I just find it frustrating to see some of our nations busiest highways crumbling. So it raises the question is stimulus funding being fairly distributed? I'd rathere see an upgrade to urban interstates in Philly before bridges start buckling and collapsing than highways to nowhere in Kentucky and Indiana, or bridges to nowhere in Alaska. If Alaska can do it themselves then fine.
well I agree with you there. Something should be done before it gets that bad. But I lay the blame in your representatives.
How can Ted Stevens secure all that funding for Alaska when major cities are crumbling? I don't know, the republicans are always campaigning against pork, but it seems like their states are the only ones benefiting form it.
I looked at the article and it does seem like many of these projects are in rural areas, but the Houston project does not fit in with them. I think the Houston project was thrown in because it is grand in scale, It adds a 3rd (some would say 4th) belt to Houston, and it runs through some protected Prairie land. Other than that it also runs through some of the fastly growing areas of the metro (Pearland, Katy, Sugarland).
why is it so hard to fix roads in Philly?
Since I have been in Houston they have widened/worked on 59, I10, parts of beltway 8, 610, 90, Grand Parkway, 290. I may have forgotten some projects, but all of these have been in the last 10 years. I really don't know how why some cities get so much funding while others don't
Highways are extremely expensive in the long run. I would argue until Houston builds some alternatives no more highways, it is just silly and I am sick of paying the bill, infill and build infrastructure, don't expand and add to the overall billl
you can argue all you want, the Grand Parkway will be completed very soon.
for the 5th time, there are no other alternatives, the area is already developed. its not our fault that you are not getting funding
you can argue all you want, the Grand Parkway will be completed very soon.
for the 5th time, there are no other alternatives, the area is already developed. its not our fault that you are not getting funding
There are long term alternatives much cheaper in the long run and more easily scaled. Rail - I would lobby for not one additional federal dollar on Houston roads until there is some assmblance of a rail alternative. though the bill for your roads will come in another 20 years, wont be the low cost dream you think now, and when your taxes grow and the money is being spent in areas that were fields you will be asking the question same questions.
Texas gets a lot of appropriations because of pork and the size of the state. I hate pork
Yes it may be needed but honestly it is probably needed less than 20 or 30 other areas. And if you wont invest in rail and infill then i say no more funds (cheaper long term alternatives), but then again the oil lobby is strong and the US taxpayer subsidizing highways has always happened, frankly i am sick of it and my tax bill increases and our deficit increases. Building more highways just masks the problem and adds to the future tax bill.
We dont have one beltway let alone 4
Why not impose the taxes on those using it or coming because of the new highway - why expect everyone else to pay the bill
Don't you listen Kid? I said a zillion times that rail is not feasible in the area. geez louise. dude you got hearing problems
That is not my problem, make it feasible. Dont expect others to pay for careless and more expensive long term development and sprawl. Infill, make it work or pay for it out of your local tax base that is all I am saying
And if not feasible then build and develop areas in houston where it is. i am sick of paying frankly no matter where or what city
We did make it feasible, that is why the highway is being built, its because the highway was made feasible.
so are you saying Katy, Pearland, Sugarland doesn't need highways too? Only Houston should have highways? that is silly billy. Other cities need highways too.
If you don't like it call your darn congressman, stop whining about it on CD
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
