Is another IH-10 expansion possible? (Houston, Galveston: maintenance, living, safer)

[elnina]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I know .... this idea is too wild and crazy ...
but what about providing other options instead of constantly expanding the same road?

Here's an even crazier idea...
redo I-10 West to be completely flat and have the roads go over the highway

Most US cities are built for cars, and Houston is definitely one of them.
Yes - Houston has "The World’s Widest Highway" (well, maybe) that spans a whopping 26 lanes and... the second worst traffic bottleneck in America.

Rail or any public transportation will only partially solve the problem. People living in suburbs still need to reach the nearest station, and then from the station to a destination.
Those would need huge parking lots at every stop, because only small percentage of commuters would leave their car at home.
Being without car is for many not an option - they need it to run errands after work, shop or pick-up kids from school/activities. Those could be scattered around the town. They would spent hours commuting per trains or any other public transportation.

The only option I could imagine is building a second level atop the existing one. (a multi-level roadway).
Like they did in San Antonio:
TexasFreeway > San Antonio > Photo Gallery > Interstate 10 > double deck section

However, this option could create other problems like confusion among drivers as to exit and entrance ramps. In addition, going UP a long, curving ramp is not fuel-efficient, or visibility-tolerant.
And of course drivers would have new things to complain about...

NOTE: adding capacity doesn't reduce traffic in the long term. This is the economic phenomenon called "induced demand": providing more of a free resource (in this case, freeway lanes) will inspire more demand to fill it.

BTW: there are plans to widen I-10 but outside Houston, at Brookshire where the hwy drops to TWO lanes:
https://abc13.com/traffic/constructi...-katy/3211823/
The upgrade is also needed to maintain I-10 as a viable evacuation route.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by elnina

Being without car is for many not an option - they need it to run errands after work, shop or pick-up kids from school/activities. Those could be scattered around the town. They would spent hours commuting per trains or any other public transportation.

I don’t understand why conservatives think that building rail lines mean that people don’t use cars

The idea is not to eliminate cars,
The idea is to reduce the number of cars on the road.

If you think is tough to build parking lots around the city next to rail stations
It should be much more difficult to keep on expanding highways to accommodate for those cars.

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by WRM20

I don't slow down for the overpasses, and don't consider them an issue. Of course, I've been driving on I-10 since the mid-70's, and consider the current form to be pretty nice.. A number of exits were combined in the prior expansion, especially inside BW8

They are an issue when speaking about sight lines. The only reason why I slowed down is because I'm usually 10-15 over the low 60 MPH speed limit. The Katy was designed for higher. Funny that the old Katy Freeway had a 65mph outside 610 and a 70mph speed limit outside the Beltway. Bring those back! The emission excuse is only used for Houston.

Originally Posted by Dopo

I don’t understand why conservatives think that building rail lines mean that people don’t use cars

The idea is not to eliminate cars,
The idea is to reduce the number of cars on the road.

If you think is tough to build parking lots around the city next to rail stations
It should be much more difficult to keep on expanding highways to accommodate for those cars.

Exactly. I use to live a few blocks from a Gold line station in Pasadena, California (see pic on last page). Sometimes my car would stay parked in the driveway and I'd take the train. Sometimes I would drive. In the morning taking the train was usually about 5-10 minutes longer at the time I usually left. In the afternoon, it would be 5-10 minutes shorter. It's a trade off because at least I could chill on the train rather than fight with traffic...or deal with a bus driver fighting with traffic.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by DabOnEm

They are an issue when speaking about sight lines. The only reason why I slowed down is because I'm usually 10-15 over the low 60 MPH speed limit.

Good luck on those bridges when we get freezing rain again and you are 70MPH on the highway

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Good luck on those bridges when we get freezing rain again and you are 70MPH on the highway

Why would I be going that fast in freezing rain though?

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by DeanoSF

The idea of the I-10 monstrosity getting bigger is a nightmare. Embrace rail, Houston, and not the streetcar you have running in traffic. The key is not to build parking at transit stops, but to build transit villages with homes clustered around stations.

When people have to drive to the train station (or park and ride stop) the start-up of their cars nearly negates the air pollution gains of using mass transit.

https://jfrankwalks.wordpress.com/20...-land-banking/


Here's a pic of BART running in the middle of a freeway almost an hour away (by car) from San Francisco. Many will still park at the stations along this line, having driven from some point far from the line to get there. Closer in, though, the density of housing around the stops and recent ballot initiatives to increase this practice are making the park-and-ride boardings a much smaller percentage of total ridership, even as that ridership increases and expands farther into distant suburbs...

Building "transit villages" is a non-starter for I10, given that there are tens of thousands of existing houses. Unless you think we should tear them down and build what you suggest.

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by WRM20

Building "transit villages" is a non-starter for I10, given that there are tens of thousands of existing houses. Unless you think we should tear them down and build what you suggest.

All you have to do is redevelop shopping centers. There are plenty along I-10 and some that need to go anyway. Don't even have to touch the single family neighborhoods. There are only a handful of spots where homes get close to the freeway.

[Parkhollow]

The idea of building homes right next to a freeway? I wouldn’t live there, not with all that noise and air pollution

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by DabOnEm

Why would I be going that fast in freezing rain though?

Ok ,that's true
But how do you know when water is going to freeze on those bridges if your car doesn't have a thermometer?

And the way people drive in Houston, I'd be surprised if anybody slows down on the highway when the roads are wet and the temperature is close to 32F

[elnina]

Guys - please stay on topic. Are we back to the never ending debate about driving habits? That's not the topic of this thread...