SH 146 upgrade to freeway, Kemah/Seabrook

[The Ghostbuster]

Don't hold your breath. I highly doubt the Grand Parkway will ever be fully completed. Segments B and C might eventually be constructed, but Segment A is unviable and likely will have too many right-of-way acquisitions for construction to ever occur (not to mention the controversy of building that segment). If construction ever begins on Segment A, I will be shocked.

[DNAguy]

TxDot missed the boat on Segment A.

Oh well IMO.

What needs to be done is to just incorporate the Texas City spur (sorry IDK what designation / # it actually is) into the Grand Parkway.

How? Well, either cross 45 and use Highway 3 / Old Galveston Rd ROW OR have Section B terminate at 45 near the outlets / Buccee's and then have Grand Parkway piggy back on 45 for the 3 miles or so to the Texas City spur.

You can even grade separate it if they want to maybe IDK. But it make far more sense to do this IMO than to not complete the circle so to speak.

Believe me, the development will come. It's Houston. If you build the freeway, they will come.

[armadillo speedbump]

Segment A doesn't have to be a traditional freeway, a stoplight-free superstreet would be sufficient and serve the purpose.  Route it north on I-45 less than 2 miles and then east on hwy 96.  Google Satellite tells the real story.  Check the actual setbacks, the width is there except for a short choke point.  Most of it close to 300'wide.

If one looks at the US90A superstreet in SW Houston, it fits within a 205-230' wide ROW at several intersections with 3x3 overpasses, all turn lanes, sidewalks, and grass buffers.  The full pavement width at Gessner is about 175', at Fondren about 180', about 195' at Hillcroft, plus 10-20' per side for sidewalks with a grassy buffer.  The 4x4 stretches in between have pavement widths as narrow as 120'.

The first 1.3 miles east of I-45 is the only real choke point.  Probably only have to take 1 small business building at Link Road, plus a gas station and office building on the south side of the W. Walker intersection.  Might can spare the building by simply removing the fronting parking and shift it to part of the powerline ROW behind it.  The park fields could be shifted south some of the parking moved to adjacent unused areas of the powerline ROW.  Put up a median barrier and convert the side street intersections to one way with u-turns under the Hwy 3 and W. Walker intersections.  A bit of frontage property would be needed, but wouldn't take any homes.  Maybe also take 2 businesses at Tree Bake Lane. 

The remaining 5 miles of the corridor is wide enough already based on the deep setbacks.  The existing bridges over the railroad are wide enough to be restriped for 3x3 (without shoulders, same as Hwy 90A) and room for feeder road bridges.  At the very east end of 96 the ROW may be as narrow as 205', but may be like further west with required setbacks resulting in a wider available ROW.  Of course the Google measuring tools may be slightly off, but not enough to make a difference.

Segment A is technically doable.  Just a matter of political will and money.

[roadman65]

I read eventually SH 146 will become a part of the long circular SH 99, but unlike the rest it will be free.

[thisdj78]

TxDot missed the boat on Segment A.

Oh well IMO.

What needs to be done is to just incorporate the Texas City spur (sorry IDK what designation / # it actually is) into the Grand Parkway.

How? Well, either cross 45 and use Highway 3 / Old Galveston Rd ROW OR have Section B terminate at 45 near the outlets / Buccee's and then have Grand Parkway piggy back on 45 for the 3 miles or so to the Texas City spur.

You can even grade separate it if they want to maybe IDK. But it make far more sense to do this IMO than to not complete the circle so to speak.

Believe me, the development will come. It's Houston. If you build the freeway, they will come.

I think this route (Orange) is the best way to go. Yes, some homes and small businesses would be in this path, but it's the least congested route vs. following 646 through the I-45 intersection or trying to follow 96 west of Dickinson Ave: