Which city in Texas do you believe has the best freeway system for it's size?
Personally I think the freeways in Fort Worth are the easiest to navigate.
When I went to Texas last year in February, what amazed me the most was the freeway system. (We are going on another trip there in a few days) But they are also difficult to navigate through, I really wish that there was a system like that in my town, we don't even have a freeway. But I have to say Dallas.
-un1
I'd agree with Dallas right now...but, if Houston ever: (1) completes the northeast quadrant of the Sam Houston Tollway; (2) completes the Grand Parkway/SH 99, and (3) extends the Hardy Toll Road south to downtown and completes the Katy Freeway upgrade and Crosby Freeway (US 90) extensions, I may have to put H-Town over Dallas.
San Antonio is a close third behind Dallas and H-Town...love those double deckers.
Anthony
While Dallas has an extensive freeway system, many of them are consistently congested. I'll say San Antonio, with improvements on Interstate 410 at the airport and I-10 northwest of town that might help one of the areas most congested freeways. The tolling of U.S. 281 may still happen as the next idea to handle that freeway's problems.
I have pages for both freeways in the works with material Justin sent me over the past few months.
I know then Austin is less "pro-freeway" then the other metro areas but with various projects like TX-130, TX-183A (or is it US-183A?), TX-45, Loop 1 northern extension, I-35/TX-71 stack interchange they seem to get on the train instead of just watching the train passing.
What about the freeway network of smaller cities like El Paso, Corpus Christi?
Houston has the classical hube-and-spoke system, but Dallas has more freeway mileage. Both cities are not similarly build, Dallas-Fort Worth developed mostly to the north, while Houstons no-zoning seems to have a bit of a messy layout with both higher density suburbs and near-rural areas within the city limits.
Quote from: Stephane Dumas on January 19, 2009, 11:55:45 AM
I know then Austin is less "pro-freeway" then the other metro areas but with various projects like TX-130, TX-183A (or is it US-183A?), TX-45, Loop 1 northern extension, I-35/TX-71 stack interchange they seem to get on the train instead of just watching the train passing.
What about the freeway network of smaller cities like El Paso, Corpus Christi?
Texas Toll 183A (https://www.aaroads.com/texas/tx-183at.html), though maps like to show it as U.S 183A, its signed with one of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (http://www.mobilityauthority.com/) trailblazers.
how come Toll 183A has a different shield than the other Austin toll roads?
Hmm, strange to see that El Paso's freeway system has only been mentioned once here.
Quote from: voyager on January 20, 2009, 01:55:49 AM
Hmm, strange to see that El Paso's freeway system has only been mentioned once here.
an efficient freeway system would not have the border patrol hassling me on I-10 sixty miles out of town.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on January 20, 2009, 01:55:08 AM
how come Toll 183A has a different shield than the other Austin toll roads?
Because its a Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority toll road and they chose to use their own shield. They have a few other routes that are planned.
Texas freeways rule! Wish Louisiana could learn a thing or two from them, given the Lone Star State's close proximity... :-/
Admittedly, newer construction in La. seems to carry a distinct Texas influence. Braided ramps and frontage roads are cropping up on some of the few I-state construction projects. I-10 at Causeway will have braided ramps, and two sets were constructed in 2007 along I-10 at Bluebonnet/Siegen in BR, along with frontage road-type feeders between the interchanges.
And Shreveport seems to be a virtual adjunct of Texas with its surprisingly well-developed freeway system (by La. standards).
Of course, if I-49 was extended through downtown Shreveport from I-20 to meet I-220, and the Inner Loop was completed, Shreveport would have a much more developed freeway system, IMHO....
Anthony
I grew up in DFW but spent a lot of my childhood in Austin and San Antonio. I've been everywhere in Texas except the valley.
Houston has the busiest freeway in the state (US 59) and Dallas has the second busiest (US 75). DFW has more lane miles but also more people than Houston's metro area. Both cities have a lot of big ticket stacks and lots of lanes. Fort Worth has a much older freeway system than Dallas (older as in roads that have not been touched since the 50s) and still has a few two-by-two laned freeways (parts of 820,35W,287,etc) so I think the congestion there is often worse. Dallas beats Houston only by virtue of an extensive rail system that is actually used.
Overall, though, I'd say San Antonio has the best freeway system in the state - now that 410 is done. For smaller cities, Corpus and Waco both have really good networks.
I always thought El Paso sucked, but I dont have a ton of experience driving there. I think the terrain and the layout of the city makes it unwieldy and gives motorists less options than, say, Lubbock would.
I spotted some freeway pics of El Paso http://www.texasfreeway.com/ElPaso/photos/lp375/375_transmountain.shtml (http://www.texasfreeway.com/ElPaso/photos/lp375/375_transmountain.shtml)
http://www.texasfreeway.com/ElPaso/photos/lp375/375_border.shtml (http://www.texasfreeway.com/ElPaso/photos/lp375/375_border.shtml)
http://www.texasfreeway.com/ElPaso/photos/us54/54.shtml (http://www.texasfreeway.com/ElPaso/photos/us54/54.shtml)
http://www.texasfreeway.com/ElPaso/photos/lp375/375_northeast.shtml (http://www.texasfreeway.com/ElPaso/photos/lp375/375_northeast.shtml)
TXDOT had once some plans to add a 2nd stack interchange in El Paso at the junction of I-10/Loop 375, there was a site about it but it vanished, fortunately I founded a back-up copy stored at the Internet archive
http://web.archive.org/web/20020525092311/http://www.ih10americasinterchange.com/ (http://web.archive.org/web/20020525092311/http://www.ih10americasinterchange.com/)
I would say Fort Worth, I can still get to and from Downtown in 25 minutes during rush hour even from the northeast and southeast suburbs.