Regional Boards > Mid-South
I-14 in Texas
Bobby5280:
I don't know if they're actually going to do that. I sense they'll actually try to build I-14 in that idiotic, porky, saw-tooth shaped route. That way they can "connect" as many towns as possible to I-14 for the political hand-greasing slant of it.
If this section of I-14 was ever going to be more straightened out into a more direct route from Temple to Bryan/College Station to Huntsville I think they would have started reflecting that on the maps by now (including the interactive map on that web site mentioned a few posts earlier). They still show I-14 sticking closely to the US-190 alignment, ping-ponging down to Milano, up to Hearne, down to Byran and then up to Madisonville and then a 25 mile or so overlay with I-45 before reaching Huntsville.
J N Winkler:
--- Quote from: Bobby5280 on July 27, 2023, 09:24:06 AM ---I don't know if they're actually going to do that. I sense they'll actually try to build I-14 in that idiotic, porky, saw-tooth shaped route. That way they can "connect" as many towns as possible to I-14 for the political hand-greasing slant of it.
If this section of I-14 was ever going to be more straightened out into a more direct route from Temple to Bryan/College Station to Huntsville I think they would have started reflecting that on the maps by now (including the interactive map on that web site mentioned a few posts earlier). They still show I-14 sticking closely to the US-190 alignment, ping-ponging down to Milano, up to Hearne, down to Bryan and then up to Madisonville and then a 25 mile or so overlay with I-45 before reaching Huntsville.
--- End quote ---
I am not so sure. Bryan/College Station (combined population of about 200,000) and Huntsville (population just under 50,000) are far and away more important alignment controls than Hearne and Madisonville, whose respective populations do not exceed 5,000.
I think the main obstacle to a direct connection between Bryan/College Station and Huntsville is the heavy traffic demand in the US 190 corridor between the former and Madisonville--AADT is consistently above 10,000 VPD from Bryan/College Station to the FM 39 intersection due south of Normangee. Much of this length is already four-lane divided. An origin/destination study would clarify whether traffic would benefit more from a Huntsville beeline or an Interstate-quality connection to I-45 at Madisonville.
bwana39:
--- Quote from: J N Winkler on July 27, 2023, 05:02:45 PM ---
--- Quote from: Bobby5280 on July 27, 2023, 09:24:06 AM ---I don't know if they're actually going to do that. I sense they'll actually try to build I-14 in that idiotic, porky, saw-tooth shaped route. That way they can "connect" as many towns as possible to I-14 for the political hand-greasing slant of it.
If this section of I-14 was ever going to be more straightened out into a more direct route from Temple to Bryan/College Station to Huntsville I think they would have started reflecting that on the maps by now (including the interactive map on that web site mentioned a few posts earlier). They still show I-14 sticking closely to the US-190 alignment, ping-ponging down to Milano, up to Hearne, down to Bryan and then up to Madisonville and then a 25 mile or so overlay with I-45 before reaching Huntsville.
--- End quote ---
.
I am not so sure. Bryan/College Station (combined population of about 200,000) and Huntsville (population just under 50,000) are far and away more important alignment controls than Hearne and Madisonville, whose respective populations do not exceed 5,000.
I think the main obstacle to a direct connection between Bryan/College Station and Huntsville is the heavy traffic demand in the US 190 corridor between the former and Madisonville--AADT is consistently above 10,000 VPD from Bryan/College Station to the FM 39 intersection due south of Normangee. Much of this length is already four-lane divided. An origin/destination study would clarify whether traffic would benefit more from a Huntsville beeline or an Interstate-quality connection to I-45 at Madisonville.
--- End quote ---
I think just about everyone agrees that it will not go to Madisonville. Perhaps a ROUGH TX-30 route or perhaps go on to Navasota and follow TX-105 to I-10. Except for the buildup, 105 is the better route.
The traffic between Madisonville & Bryan is traffic from Dallas and traffic from Shreveport or Texarkana. The point about Normangee makes this point. Traffic comes from US-79 and I-45 via FM-39 and travels Bryan. South bound traffic almost exclusively travels either directly to Huntsville or to through Navasota if they are going to Houston.
If it goes to Madisonville, it will end there. That will only happen if there is freeway all the way from College Station to Houston.
longhorn:
Since this will eventually be I-14 , there is a detour north and south of Rogers as construction continues on the bypass. TxDot has moved traffic to the new right of way between Rogers and outskirts of Heidenheimer. As the old road bed has been scraped up.
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.9480194,-97.2457188,772m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu
MaxConcrete:
TxDOT has scheduled 6 public meetings in the corridor from Huntsville westward.
https://www.txdot.gov/projects/hearings-meetings.html
The news (at least to me) is that the I-214 loop around Bryan-College Station is now officially part of the study.
--- Quote ---Additionally, the Study will include an evaluation of the more recently designated future Loop I-214, which is expected to co-align with I-14 around Bryan College Station.
...
In November 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) designated the I-14 System in Texas for further development, along with Loop I-214 around the Cities of Bryan and College Station. Because this loop is located entirely within the Study area and expected to overlap with I-14 as it passes through the Bryan-College Station area, evaluation of Loop I-214 will be included as part of the I-14 Study.
--- End quote ---
This probably explains why a meeting is being held in Navasota, which is far south of the main corridor. The loop study area shown in the link and image below extends to within a few miles of Navasota.
https://www.txdot.gov/projects/projects-studies/bryan/i14-corridor-study.html
Here is another data sheet. According to this document, after 3 years of study the feasible corridors will be identified, and the preferred route will be identified at the end of the 7-year process.
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot/get-involved/bry/i14/032723-i-14-fact-sheet.pdf
Since there is no obvious alignment and so many factors in play, I think it will be very difficult to identify a politically and environmentally feasible route. I'm also wondering about the strength of local support and/or opposition.
The I-214 loop alignment is going to be especially difficult to identify. Bryan-College Station is a long and slender area on a northwest-to-southeast axis along SH 6, which doesn't easily accommodate a loop. The Brazos River complicates alignments to the west. Texas A&M will surely be influential in deciding if it comes near the campus (SH 49 or FM 2818), or is far away from the campus. The meeting documents suggest that I-14 could follow I-214 for a distance. The path of least resistance could be to use existing routes as much as possible.
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