Future Interstates...maybe? (Houston, Austin, Midland: transit, cities, building)

[JJG]

Originally Posted by Trae713

I'm glad that route is done. I watched construction on.that thing crawl for years.

Tell me about it.

The most mod edit: language thing about it is that they finish it AFTER I graduate and have less reason to use it anymore.

[die Eichkatze]

Originally Posted by JJG

That is happening around several Texas highways right now. Like Hwy 6 Waco-Hempstead JUST became 4 lanes all the way through a few months ago.

You don't see any need to make them interstates, but TxDOT and the government (see NAFTA) does....

Neither does TXDOT or the fed gov other than I-69 and 75 north of Dallas. All other studies done on upgrading highways to interstate standards have come back with a NO and a recommendation to upgrade to 4 lane divided highways.

The Texas Highway Man Pages - Texas Highways Primer

TxDOT commissioned a study during the early '90s to investigate extending I-27 south from Lubbock.* Three corridors were considered: US 87/SH 349 to Midland, a Sweetwater-San Angelo-Junction corridor connecting to I-10, and another corridor through Big Spring to I-10 at Ozona.* The I-20 to I-10 segments of these corridors were studied separately.* The study concluded that there was not enough traffic, present or projected, to warrant an extension of the Interstate for the foreseeable future.* Instead, a package of upgrades to US 385, SH 349, US 87, and US 84 was recommended.

With the passage of NAFTA, additional studies have been done on this "Ports-to-Plains" corridor.* You can read more about it at Andy Field's AARoads website and at the Ports-to-Plains coalition website.* Once again, projected traffic volumes were determined to not be sufficient for an Interstate in this corridor.* Instead, various options including bypasses, intersection improvements, additional lanes on existing roads, and ITS measures were recommended.

[nedergras]

Not bad... too many interstates in West Texas though. I-31 is too gradual to be an odd number interstate, look at I-22 for example, it'd be an even numbered interstate.

(Houston Grand Pkwy could be a portion of an I-12 bypass)

[JJG]

Originally Posted by nedergras

Not bad... too many interstates in West Texas though. I-31 is too gradual to be an odd number interstate, look at I-22 for example, it'd be an even numbered interstate.

(Houston Grand Pkwy could be a portion of an I-12 bypass)

Holy crap, that I-12 makes the MOST sense out of any future plans I've seen. Even 69....

[nedergras]

Originally Posted by JJG

Holy crap, that I-12 makes the MOST sense out of any future plans I've seen. Even 69....

I've read that TX was talking about making an I-12 bypass going to Austin I think, it'd be nice to have a bypass going around Houston.

[nedergras]

Here's an updated version, spur added from Austin to Bryan. Not shown: I-49 from Shreveport to Tulsa/Wichita, KS. I-27 from Amarillo to Pueblo, CO.

I-32 added
I-44 from Lawton, OK to Wichita Falls turns into a spur of I-44 (I-144)

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by nedergras

Here's an updated version, spur added from Austin to Bryan. Not shown: I-49 from Shreveport to Tulsa/Wichita, KS. I-27 from Amarillo to Pueblo, CO.

I-32 added
I-44 from Lawton, OK to Wichita Falls turns into a spur of I-44 (I-144)

It cut through Austin like a Christmas ham )':

[nedergras]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

It cut through Austin like a Christmas ham )':

?

[JJG]

Originally Posted by JJG

Tell me about it.

The most mod edit: language thing about it is that they finish it AFTER I graduate and have less reason to use it anymore.

...... what?

[Austinite101]

Originally Posted by nedergras

?

Oh, I didn't zoom in. But its still bad to me. I want a loop around Austin, not another highway to Houston that brings more cars to 35. Perhaps if Austin landed a loop, and then these fantasy highways conected to that loop.