Which Freeways Need to be Beautified? (Houston, Dallas: vs., suite, rich)

[Raider Scott]

Hwy 290 looks great inside the Beltway 8 to the 610 Loop, but outside Beltway 8, they seemed to have forgotten about us. There are barrels left all over the place and intersections on feeders that are unfinished.


It is as if they got to Beltway 8 and said, "this looks great...we're done here" and forgot about outside the Beltway.

[michaeltx9412]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I think what Houston lacks is tourism
That's what encourages a city to make things prettier

This.

I also think the frontage road system gives all Texas metros bland and similar looks to them.

The system is quite practical, though.

[clutchcity]

Originally Posted by Redlionjr

That drive from the airport to the hotel in any city is your first impression of a city. Let's just say if IAH or Hobby were located West of Houston and people had to use I-10E coming from the West of the metro than people might have a better first impression of Houston driving into downtown. When people say Houston is ugly a lot of times it's due to what they're seeing from some of our freeways.

But Austinites still consider Houston to be ugly and my guess is most drive here (not fly), so not sure if that theory is true.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by michaeltx9412

This.

I also think the frontage road system gives all Texas metros bland and similar looks to them.

The system is quite practical, though.

For the people that don’t like wasteful gigernmrnt spending …
Feeder roads is basically building a highway for businesses

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by clutchcity

But Austinites still consider Houston to be ugly and my guess is most drive here (not fly), so not sure if that theory is true.

TBH I live in Austin metro and think Houston freeways are more beautiful than some of our Austin freeways. Although this is very much a Texan design standard, many of our freeways, especially older ones that haven’t been updated like I-35 are very crude. A place with more aesthetically pleasing freeways is Atlanta, although they’re not as functional as the ones we have in TX. I guess because they do not follow any particular design standards and some of them do their best to retain the local topography rather than plowing through it makes them seem a bit more appealing. I still love our Texas stacks though.

There has definitely been a lot more investment in freeways in Houston than Austin.

Housing between the two doesn’t seem very different except Houston seems to use more brick and Austin seems to use more stone. The intown areas of Houston like Montrose, University Place, ect are aesthetically pleasing as well. Where Austin may gripe over Houston though is Houston is alot more industrialized than Austin is (for obvious reasons, it’s a port city and the energy capital of the world.)

I personally like Houston. My main issue with Houston isn’t the aesthetics but the weather and humidity.

[Redlionjr]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I think what Houston lacks is tourism
That's what encourages a city to make things prettier

True but to Houston's credit there has been improvements on tourism here. The city has made efforts to improve tourism. It's just beautifying certain freeways in the city is too tall of a task to change overnight. 45 for instance is pretty much a rough looking stretch outside of The Woodlands and Downtown. Btw Driving on 45 thru the Woodlands is typical suburbia but it's not an eyesore like that stretch from Greenspoint to the 610 exit. But that's to be expected cutting through low income areas like Houston's freeways tend to do.

Originally Posted by michaeltx9412

This.

I also think the frontage road system gives all Texas metros bland and similar looks to them.

The system is quite practical, though.

True to an extent but I look at our neighbors to the north and their city looks a little more favorable imo from their freeways than Houston. Of course you have 45S and 35E that cuts through the more industrial lower income areas of Dallas but it's not as long of a stretch as Houston's equivalent. Granted I think that stretch of freeways in Dallas seems to be in worst condition than Houston but I think DFW area does a better job w/ their freeways. That drive on 75 imo is the best stretch of highway in TX when it comes to an urban setting.

Originally Posted by clutchcity

But Austinites still consider Houston to be ugly and my guess is most drive here (not fly), so not sure if that theory is true.

The issue is not the airport or flying into Houston, it's what people see of Houston from the freeways. So the rule still applies when one is driving into the city. Think about coming here on 290 from Austin. What neighborhoods sit off 290 when entering Houston? Cypress (suburbia), than a mix of industrial sites, national chains, apartments, some blight,etc. There's nothing impressive about driving on 290 at all. Than 8 out of 10 times those Austinites probably booked a hotel in Downtown or the Galleria area (unless they're staying w/ family) so they immediately run into traffic if they booked in the Galleria area or get a better representation in Downtown but may not be impressed if their measuring stick is the more vibrant downtown Austin.

Also to be fair some Austinites have a tendency to insult everything in Texas outside of the Hill country. I remember going to a random auto zone in Austin one time and the employee asked where I was from. I told him Houston and his nose turned up instantly. Flat out said "it's one of the ugliest cities he's ever been to." Said all he saw were oil refiners and warehouses and that the city smelled like sulfur.

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

TBH I live in Austin metro and think Houston freeways are more beautiful than some of our Austin freeways. Although this is very much a Texan design standard, many of our freeways, especially older ones that haven’t been updated like I-35 are very crude. A place with more aesthetically pleasing freeways is Atlanta, although they’re not as functional as the ones we have in TX. I guess because they do not follow any particular design standards and some of them do their best to retain the local topography rather than plowing through it makes them seem a bit more appealing. I still love our Texas stacks though.

There has definitely been a lot more investment in freeways in Houston than Austin.

Housing between the two doesn’t seem very different except Houston seems to use more brick and Austin seems to use more stone. The intown areas of Houston like Montrose, University Place, ect are aesthetically pleasing as well. Where Austin may gripe over Houston though is Houston is alot more industrialized than Austin is (for obvious reasons, it’s a port city and the energy capital of the world.)

I personally like Houston. My main issue with Houston isn’t the aesthetics but the weather and humidity.

Agreed, the stretch of freeway that reminds me of TX in Atlanta is I-85 N. When I use to drive from Chamblee to Duluth I use to get the TX vibes in that part but outside of that it felt somewhat different. I think other cities just incorporate their local topography better or hide their blight better.

[TowerKing]

These are the palms that should be planted more. This is in spring branch. Apartments usually use these types and they've survived the hard freeze

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by TowerKing

These are the palms that should be planted more. This is in spring branch. Apartments usually use these types and they've survived the hard freeze

Nope. No palms would be better. Ugly shedding trees that attract roaches.

[TowerKing]

Originally Posted by WRM20

Nope. No palms would be better. Ugly shedding trees that attract roaches.

Nope. More palms would give houston a better look.
Palms lining freeways. Palms tree streets. Beautify houston tx. LA did it in the 30s.

Oh and BTW oak trees attract bugs too.

They nest beneath loose bark, especially in oak trees, and hide among the fallen leaves and rotting logs on forest floors.

Stop being a hater lol

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by TowerKing

Nope. More palms would give houston a better look.
Palms lining freeways. Palms tree streets. Beautify houston tx. LA did it in the 30s.

Oh and BTW oak trees attract bugs too.

They nest beneath loose bark, especially in oak trees, and hide among the fallen leaves and rotting logs on forest floors.

Stop being a hater lol

Strange thing with the palms-obsessed folks. Promoting trees with virtually no shading potential that aren't part of the native landscape. Just because they think LA looks cool (when actually it's mostly not very attractive)?