News:

The AARoads Wiki is live! Come check it out!

Main Menu

Recent posts

#1
General Highway Talk / Re: Highways on Jeopardy!
Last post by kphoger - Today at 07:55:30 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on Today at 07:35:25 PMWith all of those Interstate miles, Texas has only one North-South interstate, I-35, that stretches the entire state. The other significant North-South Interstate, I-45, only goes between Houston and Dallas before it becomes hidden I-345, then US-75.

If it weren't for the Panhandle, Texas would only have one east-west Interstate stretching from coat to cost border to border.
#2
Suggestions and Questions / Re: NEW features
Last post by kphoger - Today at 07:51:05 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on Today at 05:39:04 PMFor bolding and such, I find it just as easy to just type the tags. Smilies are nice though.

Same here, w/r/t formatting tags:  I always just type them manually.  I never use the actual icons for that.  But I can never remember which emoticon corresponds to which emoji/sticker.  So yeah, that is nice to have in the 'quick reply' box, not just after clicking [PREVIEW].  Of course, I almost always am only using a smiley if I'm quoting someone else's post, and I always click [PREVIEW] when quoting, to make sure nothing went awry...
#3
can someone post an example of a green T interchange that is already built, I have never seen one before.
#4
General Highway Talk / Re: Highways on Jeopardy!
Last post by ZLoth - Today at 07:35:25 PM
With all of those Interstate miles, Texas has only one North-South interstate, I-35, that stretches the entire state. The other significant North-South Interstate, I-45, only goes between Houston and Dallas before it becomes hidden I-345, then US-75.
#5
Mid-South / Re: SH 288 toll lanes, Houston
Last post by Anthony_JK - Today at 07:26:14 PM
The biggest issue with P3's is that there is a tendency to cut corners when it comes to design and construction, and thusly you get what happened with the I-69 Indiana Segment 4 P3 contract through Bloomington, which had so many design mistakes, delays, and poor management that INDOT ended up terminating the contract and finishing I-69 itself through a traditional public contract.

Also, I'm not so kind on taking pension funds that were designed for workers who paid into them with their labor being looted for private companies to build toll roads in outlying areas or other countries.

I wouldn't mind them either making the 288 express lanes totally free except for the direct connectors to the Sam Houston Tollway interchange (which makes sense, since the SHT is mostly a toll facility), or keeping the tolls as low as possible and using the excess on upgrading the rest of 288 to full freeway all the way to Freeport.
#6
Mid-South / Re: SH 288 toll lanes, Houston
Last post by MaxConcrete - Today at 07:22:03 PM
Quote from: MaxConcrete on Today at 07:15:09 PM
Quote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMThe high tolls are indicative of a high usage, they wouldn't price it this high if there was no demand for it.
That might be true at peak periods, but the rest of the time there is abundant capacity. For example, when I drove through the interchange at the Sam Houston Tollway, where using a ramp costs $2.96, I saw very few vehicles on the ramps.

I think profit is maximized by high tolls. Even if they lose many or most customers, the customers who pay generate high revenue to increase profit.


Quote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMIs this the only highway P3 project in the Houston area?

Yes

Quote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMIt wouldn't be a great message to such developers that your lease can be terminated. Texas may have a lot of cash lying around to do so, but in many other areas it seems impossible to fund large projects without tolls (for example I-10 in Lake Charles).

I'm aware of the Reason Foundation stance on it, they say that American pension funds have huge amounts capital laying around to invest in roads, but as P3s are opposed (or in many cases, no legislation in place to implement P3 projects), that money will be going overseas. American pension funds invest in toll roads in the Faroe Islands but not in Texas...?

The Reason Foundation representative said funds available for toll road investment will prefer to go to other states which have authorized P3s, like North Carolina and Georgia.

The transportation commission has a directive from the governor to minimize the amount of tolling done by TxDOT. So the commissioners are not concerned if investment funds go elsewhere. Also, the local toll agencies in Texas (NTTA, CTRMA, HCTRA, FBCTRA, etc) will continue to build new toll roads. Most or all of them issue traditional bonds and don't use P3s.

We don't know how TxDOT will handle tolling if it buys the facility. Tolls will almost surely remain, but hopefully they will be much lower.
#7
Off-Topic / Re: Minor things that bother y...
Last post by SSOWorld - Today at 07:17:35 PM
Quote from: thenetwork on Today at 12:04:14 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 26, 2024, 06:09:58 PMThis default theme we're stuck with. I'm gonna have to do something about it...


It's like replacing a state-named interstate shield with a neutered shield... :bigass:
or with reflective plating.
#8
General Highway Talk / Re: Highways on Jeopardy!
Last post by Big John - Today at 07:15:18 PM
There was an Interstate Highways category on today's show.
#9
Mid-South / Re: SH 288 toll lanes, Houston
Last post by MaxConcrete - Today at 07:15:09 PM
Quote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMThe high tolls are indicative of a high usage, they wouldn't price it this high if there was no demand for it.
That might be true at peak periods, but the rest of the time there is abundant capacity. For example, when I drove through the interchange at the Sam Houston Tollway, where using a ramp costs $2.96, I saw very few vehicles on the ramps.

I think profit is maximized by high tolls. Even if they lose many or most customers, the customers who pay generate high revenue to increase profit.


Quote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMIs this the only highway P3 project in the Houston area?

Yes

Quote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMIt wouldn't be a great message to such developers that your lease can be terminated. Texas may have a lot of cash lying around to do so, but in many other areas it seems impossible to fund large projects without tolls (for example I-10 in Lake Charles).

I'm aware of the Reason Foundation stance on it, they say that American pension funds have huge amounts capital laying around to invest in roads, but as P3s are opposed (or in many cases, no legislation in place to implement P3 projects), that money will be going overseas. American pension funds invest in toll roads in the Faroe Islands but not in Texas...?

The Reason Foundation representative said funds available for toll road investment will prefer to go to other states which have authorized P3s, like North Carolina and Georgia.

The transportation commission has a directive from the governor to minimize the amount of tolling done by TxDOT. So the commissioners are not concerned if investment funds go elsewhere. Also, the local toll agencies in Texas (NTTA, CTRMA, HCTRA, FBCTRA, etc) will continue to build new toll roads. Most or all of them issue traditional bonds.

We don't know how TxDOT will handle tolling if it buys the facility. Tolls will almost surely remain, but hopefully they will be much lower.
#10
Southeast / Re: South Carolina
Last post by PColumbus73 - Today at 07:13:43 PM
Overshadowed by the Key Bridge collapse, but SCDOT announced that the Don Holt Bridge will be replaced when they widen I-526. The new bridge will be taller than the existing bridge, I would assume similar in height to the Ravenel.

https://abcnews4.com/news/local/south-carolinas-dot-announces-replacement-don-holt-bridge-interstate-526-cargo-shipments-news-abc-news-4-wciv-maryland-baltimore-2024

Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.