Grand Parkway H, I-1 and I-2

[sprjus4]

^ Agreed, however at least 70 mph is better than 65 mph.

Perhaps it will be increased to 75 mph in the next couple of years - remember 70 mph is the default limit that applies once a new facility is constructed.

My hopes for any increase is basically gone...

The last segment of SH-99 to still retain a 75 mph speed limit, the newer portion between I-45 and I-69, has been lowered to 70 mph, according to December 2022 Street View, just like the portion to the west was lowered in phases over the last few years down to 65 mph. It was still posted for 75 mph this past summer.

What is the reason for these decreases? I drove the road between I-10 west (Katy) and I-69 north this past summer, and the road can easily handle 75 - 80 mph travel throughout. Even on the 65 mph portions that used to be 70 mph or 75 mph, traffic was still moving at 80+ mph. The decreases have done nothing except create an artificial limit that is not obeyed, on a roadway that was designed for faster travel.

I'm expecting the entire northern loop of SH-99 to eventually be lowered to 65 mph, along with the newest 2-lane toll road portion down to I-10 east.

I'll add this: I find it ironic a lot of the northern part of the loop was opened at 65 mph or 70 mph, increased to 75 mph, then decreased back down within just a couple of years.

[thisdj78]

^ Agreed, however at least 70 mph is better than 65 mph.

Perhaps it will be increased to 75 mph in the next couple of years - remember 70 mph is the default limit that applies once a new facility is constructed.

My hopes for any increase is basically gone...

The last segment of SH-99 to still retain a 75 mph speed limit, the newer portion between I-45 and I-69, has been lowered to 70 mph, according to December 2022 Street View, just like the portion to the west was lowered in phases over the last few years down to 65 mph. It was still posted for 75 mph this past summer.

What is the reason for these decreases? I drove the road between I-10 west (Katy) and I-69 north this past summer, and the road can easily handle 75 - 80 mph travel throughout. Even on the 65 mph portions that used to be 70 mph or 75 mph, traffic was still moving at 80+ mph. The decreases have done nothing except create an artificial limit that is not obeyed, on a roadway that was designed for faster travel.

I'm expecting the entire northern loop of SH-99 to eventually be lowered to 65 mph, along with the newest 2-lane toll road portion down to I-10 east.

I'll add this: I find it ironic a lot of the northern part of the loop was opened at 65 mph or 70 mph, increased to 75 mph, then decreased back down within just a couple of years.

I can guess why. I drove on there a few more times this past fall....mostly between the 3pm - 5pm timeframe. Traffic was definitely more dense than I expected and I'm sure more than was expected when they opened it. Once they add lanes, I'm sure the limit will go back up....but I can see how they may think 75 is a bit high on a 4 lane that is quickly approaching traffic jam status during peak hours.

[Bobby5280]

As quickly as the Northern fringes of the Houston metro area are growing I'm not surprised speed limits would be decreased on those sections of the Grand Parkway.

[bluecountry]

Am I the only one that thinks is premature to only have 2 lanes on a good portion of this? Development is quickly following the newer portions that have opened over the past few years, and some of the stretches in the last 10-15 years are getting near needing 6 lanes already.

I feel like, at minimum, this entire highway should have been a minimum of a four lane highway. Not to mention, it's function as a highway for the overall system, it should meet minimum interstate standards.

Nah, I don't see sprawl happening in Chambers or Liberty County.

[sprjus4]

^ Maybe not, but how about all that traffic heading to I-10, Baytown, Galveston?

I'm curious what the growth projections for traffic counts is.

[Bobby5280]

Those 2-lane segments of TX-99 on the NE quadrant of the outer loop are temporary. It's a safe bet that by 2030 they'll either be in the process of adding the second pair of lanes or the second pair of lanes will already be finished by then.

As for the possibility of Houston's suburban sprawl creeping farther Northeast: I could certainly see the completion of TX-99 helping it happen. There are limits to how building can be done. There is a lot of swamp land and other flood-prone areas on the Eastern outskirts of the Houston metro. The TX-99 route runs across a lot of land that can be turned into housing subdivisions. I kind of expect the Crosby Freeway (US-90) going Northwest out of Houston to be extended farther -at least to the TX-99 interchange.

[Chris]

SH 99 really opened up Liberty County for development, I was browsing on Google Earth and this caught my eye. You can see SH 99 just on the lower part of the gif. This development seems to be mainly accessible through the Grand Parkway.

[MaxConcrete]

SH 99 really opened up Liberty County for development, I was browsing on Google Earth and this caught my eye. You can see SH 99 just on the lower part of the gif. This development seems to be mainly accessible through the Grand Parkway.

That development along Plum Grove road is a massive trailer park mainly targeting the Spanish-speaking market. When I recently drove through the area, there were plenty of signs for "terrenos" and "nueva casas". Streets are built to low standards, with open ditch drainage, and lots are large. I was surprised to see such a large development for manufactured housing (i.e. trailers) being allowed, but this is Houston (where anything goes) and there appears to be an ample market for lots suitable for trailers.

I don't know about the curving street grid on the east side of the view. But looking on Google street view, it appears to be more trailer-ready development, which is no surprise since the nearby trailer communities make the area unattractive for better-quality development.

Here is a report from 2017
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/New-colonia-transforms-Plum-Grove-10842579.php

The developer, New Caney-based Colony Ridge Land, has carved more than 9,000 lots from woods in and around Plum Grove. In neighborhoods with names like Bella Vista and Montebello, property owners - mostly working-class Latinos - occupy concrete-block houses, battered trailers and shacks of wood and tar paper while pursuing part of the American Dream.

The newcomers speak joyously of Eden. Among them, Carlos and Janet Macedo are constructing a house - one wall and window at a time - on a half-acre they bought for $20,900.
...
Still, there was an expectation that the fast-moving edge of metropolitan Houston would reach them, too. They had heard rumors of the woodsy landscape becoming "another Kingwood," the master-planned community with high, handsome homes.

But the expanse of flat, relatively inexpensive land in Plum Grove and unincorporated Liberty County was transformed in another way. In 2011, Colony Ridge began selling half-acre lots with basic electricity, water and sewage hookups for between $20,000 and $30,000 apiece, seeking to entice buyers through advertisements on Spanish-language television and radio.

The company offers financing for as little as $500 down, but the interest rate runs as high as 14 percent - more akin to credit cards than mortgages. Many of the fresh arrivals start with used trailers or tents and then upgrade as their finances improve.

Colony Ridge's five subdivisions have paved roads and parks with soccer goals and swing sets. But they don't yet have sidewalks, streetlights or shoulders and curbs along the roadways.

By the end of 2016, the developer had sold nearly 7,200 lots, according to Liberty County Appraisal District records. Only a fraction of the lots have structures.

Housing policy experts define such places as "new colonias" because of the substandard dwellings and inability of many residents to pay for connections to utilities.

[bwana39]

SH 99 really opened up Liberty County for development, I was browsing on Google Earth and this caught my eye. You can see SH 99 just on the lower part of the gif. This development seems to be mainly accessible through the Grand Parkway.

That development along Plum Grove road is a massive trailer park mainly targeting the Spanish-speaking market. When I recently drove through the area, there were plenty of signs for "terrenos" and "nueva casas". Streets are built to low standards, with open ditch drainage, and lots are large. I was surprised to see such a large development for manufactured housing (i.e. trailers) being allowed, but this is Houston (where anything goes) and there appears to be an ample market for lots suitable for trailers.

I don't know about the curving street grid on the east side of the view. But looking on Google street view, it appears to be more trailer-ready development, which is no surprise since the nearby trailer communities make the area unattractive for better-quality development.

Trailer parks are far more valuable than raw land. As you said, the infrastructure in the trailer parks was shoddy at best. It will sell like prime streets. The owner will play the "disadvantaged residents" card to jack the price, but since they actually have nominal political clout, he would be able to get them out easily to close the sale.  He spent very little and will multiply his investment.