Grand Parkway (TX 99) East expansion in Houston??

[Anthony_JK]

Two weeks ago, on a roadie to Houston for my brother's 50th birthday celebration, I spotted on I-10 just east of Mount Belview/Baytown a BGS for an exit to "Grand Parkway/TX 99".  I couldn't see much then...but on the way going back, I was able to see a widely seperated divided highway with a wide median, as if for a future freeway/tollway.

I'm guessing that that would be the east/south extension of TX 99's service roads, then?? 

So..anybody know if there is a timeline for ultimate construction for that segment of the GP, and how will it connect to the other portions of Baytown's freeway system (TX 202, TX 330, the Hartman Bridge)??


Anthony

[Chris]

Eventually, a third freeway/tollway beltway of Houston will become inevitable, with the metropolitan area growing over 100,000 people per year, and already having urban areas with a significant distance outside the Sam Houston Beltway (Katy, The Woodlands etc.) Basically the same situation as Atlanta.

You'll get the discussion if it wouldn't spur more sprawl, but I think that's inevitable anyway, better build a third beltway now, than having to deal with the traffic problems that occur when there's no space for a beltway anymore (Los Angeles problem).

[Anthony_JK]

I can understand that....perhaps H-Town can see fit to actually complete the SECOND loop (i.e., that unfinished NE quadrant of the Sam Houston/Beltway 8 from US 90 to US 59) and the Hardy Toll Road extension before they start considering the need for the GP.


Anthony

[DrZoidberg]

I've read a lot about this project, and find it pretty fascinating.  If the Grand Parkway is built, will it be a freeway with frontage roads (Texas style freeway) for the entire length?  Also, I believe this may qualify for the longest beltway in the US if built.

[Grzrd]

I spotted on I-10 just east of Mount Belview/Baytown a BGS for an exit to "Grand Parkway/TX 99" ... on the way going back, I was able to see a widely seperated divided highway with a wide median, as if for a future freeway/tollway.
I'm guessing that that would be the east/south extension of TX 99's service roads, then?? 
So..anybody know if there is a timeline for ultimate construction for that segment of the GP, and how will it connect to the other portions of Baytown's freeway system (TX 202, TX 330, the Hartman Bridge)??

I could not find a catch-all "Grand Parkway" thread, and at the risk of a lengthy "Bump", I decided that this one best fits this post (mods - of course, if you find a better place, please move it).

This article reports that the Texas Transportation Commission recently authorized the issuance of a RFQ for the development, design and construction, as well as the potential maintenance of all or part of Segments H, I-1 and I-2 of the SH 99 Grand Parkway as a design-build project:

... the Texas Transportation Commission recently moved forward on additional segments of Houston's 180-mile outer loop known as the Grand Parkway.
The Commission authorized a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the development, design and construction, as well as the potential maintenance of all or part of Segments H, I-1 and I-2 of the SH 99 Grand Parkway as a design-build project ....
The project includes Segments H&I which run 37.5 miles from North US 59/I-69 to I-10 east and will include one to two lanes each direction with limited frontage roads through Montgomery and Liberty counties.
It also will complete the toll lanes on Segment I-2 which runs 15.3 miles from I-10 east to SH 146. The estimated total construction cost is $1.2 billion.
Today, TxDOT has approximately 41 miles of the SH 99 Grand Parkway open to traffic, with another 38 miles anticipated to open in late 2015.
When complete, the 180-mile highway will include seven counties and circle the Greater Houston region.

This map shows the locations of Segments H, I-1, and I-2:

[Bobby5280]

I was in Houston this past weekend. The Grand Parkway stack interchanges at US-290 and I-45 are coming along. BTW Google Earth updated some of the satellite imagery for Houston featuring satellite views from April & May of this year. There's a few other huge road expansion projects going on in Houston, like the I-610 and US-290 project. I-45 is getting expanded South of Houston, just beyond the Loop 8 interchange. As busy as I-45 gets, I wouldn't be surprised if that road is built with double deck levels in the future. I don't know how much wider in can be made before it becomes less expensive to build upward rather than outward.

[MaxConcrete]

As busy as I-45 gets, I wouldn't be surprised if that road is built with double deck levels in the future. I don't know how much wider in can be made before it becomes less expensive to build upward rather than outward.

I agree it will be increasingly difficult and costly to expand Houston freeways outward. But I don't foresee any elevated structures, except possibly on the West Loop 610.

There should be at least one more huge right-of-way clearance, for the Interstate 45 North expansion http://www.ih45northandmore.com/ . The most likely option for the section from Loop 610 to Beltway 8 is expanding the right-of-way width from around 300 feet to 500 feet. For the controversial section inside the loop, elevated structures have already been ruled out.

[Bobby5280]

Expanding I-45 outward, like what was done with Katy Freeway during the last decade, will be very expensive in terms of ROW acquisition. It's too bad various factions have eliminated any options of building elevated structures inside the I-610 loop. Such a thing would be more do-able than buying up property East of the existing ROW.

I doubt they can take a cut and cantilever expansion approach on I-45 like what is being done on parts of I-635 in Dallas. Houston is closer to sea level and far more prone to flash flooding. Even in Dallas, big parts of the LBJ Freeway expansion consist of elevated structures running for pretty significant distances.

NIMBY's and various environmental groups may hate elevated highway structures for being eye sores, but I think traffic jams backing up for miles are much worse. I-45 is notorious for having severe traffic jams. Some of the road expansion north of the Loop 8 tollway hasn't helped all that much due to the bottlenecks inside the tollway and I-610 loops.

I-45 will have to be expanded somehow. It's either that or other relief freeways will have to be built parallel to the corridor. Good luck on finding anywhere to fit them.

[Anthony_JK]

Shouldn't the planned extension of the Hardy Toll Road from the Sam Houston Tollway to I-10/US 59/Future I-69 work to relieve much of the burden on I-45 between I-610 and I-10/downtown Houston?

I'm more concerned about plans to remove the Pierce Elevated section of I-45. Once again, those damn New Urbanists want to sacrifice mobility for the sake of their own "evil car, bad freeway" myopia.

[Perfxion]

The problem with Houston is that is too big. You can't get from FM1960 to NRG Stadium within 30 mins with no traffic. The fun problem is the bottle necks north of Conroe and around 610. They are damn near expanding 45 to 8 lanes all the way to Huntsville(2 1/2 hours from downtown). Maybe if they go with their plan to have northbound be street level and the Pierce Elevated be southbound could gain some lanes. But space is becoming the issue.

The Hardy expansion could help but doesn't address the biggest problem with where people are moving to. They aren't moving into downtown or heights/wards. They are moving into Spring, Tomball, Cypress, The Woodlands, and even further north. They need more work on the north and west side than just I-45. Complete SH249 and US290 projects first and see if that helps.

[FreewayDan]

TxDot Fact Sheet on proposed Grand Parkway segments H and I-1:
http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/spd/funding-sheets/sh-99-h-i1-i2.pdf

[Bobby5280]

I'm surprised sections H and I-1 are going to be built initally in a Super 2 configuration. I think the road would have to go at least 4 lane or even 6 lane not long after initially opening. I think a lot of traffic in the Northern Houston suburbs would use the Grand Parkway to get to places on the South side, like Kemah, Galveston, etc.

The problem with Houston is that is too big. You can't get from FM1960 to NRG Stadium within 30 mins with no traffic. The fun problem is the bottle necks north of Conroe and around 610. They are damn near expanding 45 to 8 lanes all the way to Huntsville(2 1/2 hours from downtown).

Houston is booming. That's just a reality and I don't see it changing any time soon. It's just going to keep getting bigger and bigger.

Honestly, Houston became too big too long ago. The city was sprawling long before more intelligent zonal planning and design techniques were applied to how traffic is carried and distributed on neighborhood streets and major surface commercial streets.

20-30 years ago the typical idea of handling traffic was to simply build a freeway, but not put any thought or control into how traffic moved once it left the freeway. This is really the bigger problem faced by many large cities. You'll have a major surface street with commercial businesses lined up right up along the edge of it and everyone has a driveway emptying traffic right out onto the primary street. Add to that LOTS and LOTS of stop lights. In the end it turns into a very slow, stop and go clusterf**k. When this kind of design is near a freeway or tollway it can be a disaster. Traffic trying to enter or leave the freeway has nowhere to go for all the crap happening on the surface streets. And then it leads to traffic getting blocked on the freeway itself.

Houston has lots and lots of these kinds of screwed-up streets. You have to get way out into the newest developments in the western and northern extremes of Metro Houston to find street layouts that limit the number of entrances and exits onto major surface streets, as well as limit the number of traffic lights along major thoroughfares.

Houston and its suburbs and only conquer this problem through more deliberate zoning rules and street design. Existing properties would have to be grand-fathered, but they need to at least take a stand on new developments.

The Hardy expansion could help but doesn't address the biggest problem with where people are moving to. They aren't moving into downtown or heights/wards. They are moving into Spring, Tomball, Cypress, The Woodlands, and even further north. They need more work on the north and west side than just I-45. Complete SH249 and US290 projects first and see if that helps.

Ultimately it's all about price. People moving to Houston are going to live where they find the right balance of housing price, commuting distance, school quality and quality of life. For most people it's just too expensive to find that combination close to downtown.

Roads like I-45 and US-290 will have to grow. But Houston (and a lot of other big cities) really have to start working on the layout of their surface streets.

[Chris]

I'm surprised sections H and I-1 are going to be built initally in a Super 2 configuration. I think the road would have to go at least 4 lane or even 6 lane not long after initially opening.

The northeastern segment of the Sam Houston Beltway carries only 27,000 vehicles per day, while the eastern part of the Grand Parkway is much farther from residential subdivisions. I doubt if a super-two is a good idea, but four lanes with a wide median seems to be sufficient for the next decade or more.

I'm more surprised by the fact that the western part of the Grand Parkway (from I-10 to 290) is only four lanes. Growth in that area is very strong and approaching the toll road already.

[nolia_boi504]

Looks like segments H and I1 have the green light to proceed

http://blog.chron.com/thehighwayman/2014/11/big-steps-for-u-s-290-and-grand-parkway-uncertainty-on-uptown/