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General Houston-area projects thread

Started by CoreySamson, June 14, 2021, 10:58:42 PM

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Plutonic Panda

Quote from: CoreySamson on June 22, 2022, 09:31:27 AM
Quote from: jgb191 on June 22, 2022, 12:03:18 AM
Quote from: kernals12 on June 21, 2022, 07:44:30 AM
Is it just me or does Houston have a less ambitious highway improvement plan than Texas' other metros? Is it just because NHHIP is diverting all the money and attention?


There is still a shopping list of upgrades all over the Greater metro area; so far in this 2020's decade alone:

1.  The I-45/SH-35 (the Alvin exit) interchange is being built.
2.  The length of I-45 from NASA to Texas City is being expanded.
3.  The I-69/I-610 (near the Galleria) interchange is being revised.
4.  The length of I-69 from Sugar Land to Rosenburg is being expanded.
5.  The length of I-10 West freeway expansion might be soon beginning from Katy to Brookshire.
6.  The length of US-290 is being expanded from I-610 to FM-1960.
7.  The SH-288/Beltway 8 interchange....might even be opened by now. Now Open
8.  SH-288/I-610 South interchange is being built. Now Open
9.  The SH-288 South Freeway is being expanded from Downtown to Pearland (and then to be upgraded to interstate standards all the way to Freeport in the future so I was informed on here) The recent work on the toll lanes is all finished to Manvel. I'm aware of long-term plans to 3x3 288 to Lake Jackson and potentially 4x2x2x4ing it in the Houston metro, but I don't know when that gets done. The end goal is for it to be a freeway all the way to Freeport. Speaking of Freeport, the TX 288/TX 332/TX 288 B interchange in that area was just recently refurbished with new pavement and more lanes.

Those are just off the top of my mind.  Anything else have I not mentioned yet?
10. The Fort Bend Tollway is getting extended.
11. The Beltway 8 Ship Channel bridge is being built right now.
12. SH 146 is getting some freeway upgrades in and around the Kemah area.
13. The I-610 Ship Channel bridge will be rebuilt sometime in the next 10-20 years.
14. Lots of the Grand Parkway still needs to be built.
15. A new freeway paralleling TX-35 will be built all the way to Alvin (as you hinted at)
16. The I-69/TX 288 interchange is going to be rebuilt at some point, regardless of whether NHHIP goes through, I believe.
17. Speaking of that, that's not even including the NHHIP if it does fall through. That would rebuild I-45 on the north side and radically shift downtown freeways.
18. The Westpark Tollway will be extended.
19. Kind of a stretch, but I believe the Aggieland Expressway will be extended to near Navasota.
20. Katy freeway modernization from downtown to the "recently"  reconstructed and widened portion.


kernals12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLG3ZvAspek

Public meeting on PEL for I-45 from Downtown to Beltway 8.

Traffic is already very bad now and, by 2045, they say the entire corridor will operate at LOS F in both directions at peak times with no improvements.

There is no space for widening without lots of ROW takings.

I think the only hope for relief is the Proposed Alvin Freeway

Anthony_JK

So....when will we hear some New Urbanist freak put out a "Rethink I-45" website calling for leveling I-45 north of I-610 and re-routing I-45 along the Sam Houston Tollway or I-610 and converting the old I-45 into a 4 lane boulevard because "HIGHWAYS SUCK AND FREEWAYS ARE RACIST!!!"

[/sarcasm]

The Ghostbuster

Please Anthony_JK, do not give the new urbanists any ideas. They are crazy enough as it is.

Bobby5280

When "new urbanists" complain that freeways are racist they're committing an act of ironic hypocrisy. The ideology of new urbanism is pretty much a ruse; it's a tool to promote gentrification and economic segregation.

Just about every urban center where all sorts of new urbanist inspired redevelopment efforts have been applied has also been affected by gentrification. That does even more to displace middle and lower income residents than building a freeway. Even if a person with a modest income owns his property outright he can be forced to sell and leave just from the rising cost of property taxes alone.

The "missing middle" syndrome in America's housing market is forcing a lot of workers in the lower tiers of the middle class to move in less desirable neighborhoods in their home city or move to an entirely different place where living costs are more affordable. But in places with far more affordable living costs, like here in Lawton, that comes with the trade-off of lower wage scales.

So when lawmakers want to pop-off speeches about freeways being racist they need to be forced to answer questions about their city's zoning policies and how those are even more racist or class warfare-driven than any freeway could ever hope to be. Let them explain that. The whole dream of New Urbanism and everyone living downtown within walking distance of work is a stinking lie as long as that redesigned downtown is only affordable as a living place to rich people.

CoreySamson

According to the TxDOT Project Tracker, TX 288 is getting 4 new interchanges in Brazoria County that are in the beginning stages of being built right now. The intersections in question are Rodeo Palms Parkway/Del Bello Boulevard, CR 48, CR 57, and CR 64. In addition, the bridge at the CR 56/Meridiana Parkway interchange that opened just a couple years ago is already getting widened and (supposedly?) rebuilt. I just drove through the area and construction equipment is already on the site in these areas. A feeder is currently being built between Rodeo Palms Parkway and TX 6. Also, in that same area, Segment B of the Grand Parkway is being shown to start construction in less than 4 years.

These projects will greatly reduce the sections of 288 that are currently expressway and will increase safety. The only intersections left before 288 is completely freeway between Houston and Freeport after these projects are done will be CR 60, CR 51 (already getting a ton of development just in the last 2 years, so this one will probably get an interchange next), CR 48 near MSR Houston, and a tiny stub frontage road just to the north of the FM 2004 interchange that will probably never be touched. This all is kinda exciting news for the area as it continues to boom.
Buc-ee's and QuikTrip fanboy. Clincher of FM roads. Proponent of the TX U-turn.

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rte66man

Quote from: CoreySamson on December 15, 2022, 08:29:43 PM
According to the TxDOT Project Tracker, TX 288 is getting 4 new interchanges in Brazoria County that are in the beginning stages of being built right now. The intersections in question are Rodeo Palms Parkway/Del Bello Boulevard, CR 48, CR 57, and CR 64. In addition, the bridge at the CR 56/Meridiana Parkway interchange that opened just a couple years ago is already getting widened and (supposedly?) rebuilt. I just drove through the area and construction equipment is already on the site in these areas. A feeder is currently being built between Rodeo Palms Parkway and TX 6. Also, in that same area, Segment B of the Grand Parkway is being shown to start construction in less than 4 years.

Are there any other frontage roads mentioned? The distance between Rodeo Palms and Croix Road to the north looks to be too short to work w/o frontage roads. Also, what's up with that weird arrangement south of the high school and north of CR63? An attempt to plan for a future interchange?

Quote
These projects will greatly reduce the sections of 288 that are currently expressway and will increase safety. The only intersections left before 288 is completely freeway between Houston and Freeport after these projects are done will be CR 60, CR 51 (already getting a ton of development just in the last 2 years, so this one will probably get an interchange next), CR 48 near MSR Houston, and a tiny stub frontage road just to the north of the FM 2004 interchange that will probably never be touched. This all is kinda exciting news for the area as it continues to boom.

No doubt. I'm old enough to remember our trips to Surfside Beach down old 288. Seemed to take forever to get there from Sharpstown.
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra

CoreySamson

Quote from: rte66man on December 17, 2022, 12:33:23 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on December 15, 2022, 08:29:43 PM
According to the TxDOT Project Tracker, TX 288 is getting 4 new interchanges in Brazoria County that are in the beginning stages of being built right now. The intersections in question are Rodeo Palms Parkway/Del Bello Boulevard, CR 48, CR 57, and CR 64. In addition, the bridge at the CR 56/Meridiana Parkway interchange that opened just a couple years ago is already getting widened and (supposedly?) rebuilt. I just drove through the area and construction equipment is already on the site in these areas. A feeder is currently being built between Rodeo Palms Parkway and TX 6. Also, in that same area, Segment B of the Grand Parkway is being shown to start construction in less than 4 years.

Are there any other frontage roads mentioned? The distance between Rodeo Palms and Croix Road to the north looks to be too short to work w/o frontage roads. Also, what's up with that weird arrangement south of the high school and north of CR63? An attempt to plan for a future interchange?
It looked like a feeder was being built from Croix Road to Rodeo Palms when I drove through the other day. It looks like TxDOT will eventually route 288's lanes over the feeder temporarily to build a traditionally styled Texas bridge over Rodeo Palms Parkway and Del Bello Boulevard. I didn't get a great look since it was dusk. And yes, I believe that strange arrangement is that way to prepare for a future interchange. IIRC there was a small regulatory sign at one of the CR intersections that stated "Future Interchange" or something like that. Hopefully maybe with these changes we can get a speed limit upgrade to 75 mph on the rural sections of 288.
Buc-ee's and QuikTrip fanboy. Clincher of FM roads. Proponent of the TX U-turn.

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CoreySamson

#58
Took a couple pictures of the construction on 288 I was referring to earlier since I was in the area today:

Quote from: CoreySamson on December 17, 2022, 03:33:29 PM
IIRC there was a small regulatory sign at one of the CR intersections that stated "Future Interchange" or something like that.
I did recall correctly. Apparently one of these signs still exists at the CR 48 intersection (on the right side of the below picture).

This picture is looking south from CR 48 towards TX 288 near Iowa Colony. It appears that a new drainage system is being graded right now on the NB side of 288 as a first step in getting the interchange ready to build. A Jersey barrier is now blocking the shoulder of the NB lanes in the construction area. You can see in the background the massive pile of ground-up pavement that originally was part of CR 48 between the main lanes and the frontage road.


This picture is looking east from CR 57 towards 288 just to the south of where the other picture was taken. Again, there was more work on the drainage system near the NB lanes.

The intersection in this area with the most worker activity was surprisingly the CR 64 intersection. It looks like the current 2-way SB frontage roads in that area are in the process of being converted to one-way feeders. I did not see similar work on the NB frontage road. I would have taken more, but I was pressed for time considering the Arctic cold front was making its way in and I needed to get home.
Buc-ee's and QuikTrip fanboy. Clincher of FM roads. Proponent of the TX U-turn.

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CoreySamson

Update on TX 288:

The four new interchanges getting built near Iowa Colony on 288 are starting to take shape. I took this picture at the current CR 63 intersection heading northbound, as I happened to get stuck behind a construction convoy:


The other interchanges are about this far along as well. I'm surprised how fast these interchanges are getting built.
Buc-ee's and QuikTrip fanboy. Clincher of FM roads. Proponent of the TX U-turn.

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CoreySamson

Construction plans that I recently found on Facebook regarding the new Marvel Town Center at the NW corner of the SH 288/SH 6 interchange reveal that a new feeder road running SB from Rodeo Palms Parkway to SH 6 along 288 is being built now.



All of 288 from Rodeo Palms Parkway to CR 63 is now under construction. Bridge pylons are now going up for the CR 57 interchange.
Buc-ee's and QuikTrip fanboy. Clincher of FM roads. Proponent of the TX U-turn.

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thisdj78


kernals12

Quote from: thisdj78 on May 27, 2023, 09:53:34 AM
TxDOT starts construction on new 8-lane highway between Gulf Freeway and 610 Loop

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/txdot-construction-new-highway-gulf-freeway-610-18118588.php

It's good when a freeway project gets off the ground with little controversy.



Is this strip of undeveloped land just south of 610 for future extension of this freeway?

thisdj78

#63
Quote from: kernals12 on May 27, 2023, 10:46:00 AM

Is this strip of undeveloped land just south of 610 for future extension of this freeway?

If you're referring to the land along Cedar Crest St, just south of that Jack N The Box, yes. There were homes there many years ago that were tore down when TXDOT bought the ROW.

longhorn

This 610/69 project to replace the stack and yet keep traffic flowing is a testament to engineers who lay out the timeline. The fusing of new structures to old structures, even if temporary is a joy to behold.




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